United Cup 2024: Iga Swiatek vs Beatriz Haddad Maia preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match details
Fixture: (POL) Iga Swiatek vs (BRA) Beatriz Haddad Maia
Date: December 30, 2023
Tournament: United Cup 2024
Round: Group stage
Venue: RAC Arena, Perth, Australia
Category: United Cup
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $10,000,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Australia - 9Now & Stan Sport | Canada - TSN
Iga Swiatek vs Beatriz Haddad Maia preview
Poland's Iga Swiatek will face off against Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia in the group stage of the 2024 United Cup on Saturday (December 30).
Swiatek enjoyed another fruitful season in 2023. Her successful title defense at the French Open saw her clinch her fourth Major title. She also made it to the last eight at Wimbledon and won titles in Doha and Stuttgart in the first half of the season.
Following the grasscout Major, Swiatek triumped in front of her home crowd to win her fourth title of the season in Warsaw. She then failed to defend her US Open title, which also cost her the World No. 1 ranking.
Nevertheless, Swiatek finished the year on a high. She won her first WTA 1000 title of the season in Beijing and then captured the WTA Finals title too. The victory pushed her atop the rankings once again as she concluded the season at the top spot for the second year in a row.
Haddad Maia's United Cup campaign, meanwhile, got underway on Friday against Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo. While their previous encounter at the French Open went well beyond three hours, that wasn't the case this time.
Despite leading by a break twice in the first set, Haddad Maia got pushed to a tie-break in the opening set, in which she gained the upper hand at last. The Brazilian fell behind 2-0 in the next set, but swept six games on the trot to register a 7-6 (1), 6-2 victory.
Iga Swiatek vs Beatriz Haddad Maia head-to-head
The two have split their previous two meetings evenly to tie the head-to-head at 1-1. Swiatek won their most recent encounter at the 2023 French Open in straight sets.
Iga Swiatek vs Beatriz Haddad Maia odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Iga Swiatek vs Beatriz Haddad Maia prediction
Having won two tournaments in a row to end the previous season, Swiatek is currently on a 11-match winning streak. Of those 11 victories, seven have been against top-10 players.
Haddad Maia is in pretty good form herself. She concluded the last season by winning the WTA Elite Trophy. Her win over Sorribes Tormo at the United Cup extended her unbeaten run to five matches.
But Haddad Maia is now in a tough spot. Her team lost to Spain 2-1, as her win over Sorribes Tormo wasn't enough. The Polish team is quite stacked thanks to the presence of Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz.
Haddad Maia has given Swiatek trouble in the past, with her win over the Pole also coming on hardcourt. However, considering the dominant manner in which the World No. 1 finished last season, she's likely to start the new season in a similar fashion.
Pick: Iga Swiatek to win in straight sets.