Tokyo 2023: Iga Swiatek vs Mai Hontama preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Toray Pan Pacific Open
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Iga Swiatek vs Mai Hontama
Date: September 27, 2023
Tournament: Toray Pan Pacific Open 2023
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Tokyo, Japan
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $780,637
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Iga Swiatek vs Mai Hontama preview
Following a first-round bye, top seed Iga Swiatek will open her Tokyo campaign with a clash against local hope Mai Hontama on Wednesday.
This will be Swiatek's first tournament since crashing out of the US Open in the Round of 16, thereby relinquishing the World No. 1 ranking in the process. This year, the Pole has struggled to live up to the lofty standards she had set for herself with a brilliant 2022 season that saw her rack up eight titles.
She has fallen way short of expectations with just four trophies so far this season — the French Open, Qatar Open, Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, and the Poland Open. Having dominated women's tennis for over a year, losing the top spot in the world rankings must have been a big blow for the 22-year-old.
Swiatek will now be keen to reset and bounce back for a solid end-of-the-season. Her first opportunity to shine is at the WTA 500 event in Tokyo, where she has a relatively easy opener against World No. 148 Mai Hontama.
The 24-year-old Japanese is an unheralded name on the WTA tour. She mainly plies her trade on the ITF circuit, where she has four singles trophies and five in doubles. While her most recent win in singles came in March at the Maribor Open, she has landed four titles in doubles this year at Burnie, Pretoria, Madrid, and Brescia.
The exploits propelled her ranking to a career-high No. 126 in singles in March and No. 124 in doubles in August.
Hontama, however, has arrived in Tokyo on the back of one of her best showings at a WTA tournament. Earlier this month, she made the semifinals at the WTA 250 event in Osaka before bowing out to eventual champion Ashlyn Krueger.
Buoyed by that run, Hontama began her challenge at the Japanese capital on Monday with a swift 6-2, 6-4 demolition of older compatriot Nao Hibino.
Iga Swiatek vs Mai Hontama head-to-head
Swiatek and Hontama have never squared off on the tour before. Hence, they are currently tied at a 0-0 deadlock.
Iga Swiatek vs Mai Hontama odds
(Odds sourced from BetMGM)
Iga Swiatek vs Mai Hontama prediction
Clearly, there's a wide gulf in the experience level between Iga Swiatek and Mai Hontama, making the former the runaway favorite to come through this contest.
Hontama put up a decent showing of first-strike tennis against Hibino, winning 65.5 percent of her first-serve points. She was strong on her second serve as well, where she won 73.3 percent points. Although the Japanese has speed and stamina, it might not be enough to stop a player of Swiatek's caliber.
The Pole is well-rested coming into this tournament and will be raring to go. Her brilliant anticipation skills and exceptional court coverage should help her put her lower-ranked opponent in a spot of bother.
With her immense experience, the four-time Slam champion shouldn't be facing much trouble in booking a place in the quarterfinals.
Pick: Swiatek to win in straight sets.