US Open 2022: Karolina Pliskova vs Victoria Azarenka preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (22) Karolina Pliskova vs (26) Victoria Azarenka.
Date: September 5, 2022.
Tournament: US Open 2022.
Round: Fourth round (Round of 16).
Venue: New York, United States.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $60,102,000.
Live telecast: USA - ESPN & ESPN2 | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sony Liv, Sony Ten & Sony Six.
Karolina Pliskova vs Victoria Azarenka preview
Former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova will take on two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka in the fourth round of the 2022 US Open on Monday.
Following wins over Magda Linette and Marie Bouzkova, Pliskova was up against 2019 US Open semifinalist Belinda Bencic in the third round. The match started with four consecutive breaks of serve, following which the duo remained steady on serve. The Swiss then managed to run away with the last three games of the set to clinch it.
Bencic snagged an early break at the start of the second set to go 2-0 up, but Pliskova won the next three games to be back on serve at 3-2. The Czech managed to break her opponent's serve at 5-4 to take the set and push the match to a decider.
The final set featured five straight breaks of serve, with Pliskova having the edge at 5-3 in the end. She served out the match in the following games to complete a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 comeback victory.
Karolina Pliskova is into Round 4 of the #USOpen for the second straight year. https://t.co/3VH8HV37As
Azarenka's US Open campaign was off to a tough start as she needed three sets to overcome Ashlyn Krueger in the first round. She then eased past Marta Kostyuk in straight sets to set up a third-round clash against Petra Martic.
Azarenka started the opening set by going up a break to lead 2-0, but her opponent broke back immediately to level the score. The Belarusian then went on a three-game run to go 5-2 up. Martic managed to eke out a hold of serve after that, but the former World No. 1 bagged the set after serving it out in the next game.
Azarenka was simply unstoppable in the second set. She played some of her finest tennis to hand Martic a bagel and win the match 6-3, 6-0. The 33-year-old has now reached the fourth round of the US Open for the seventh time in her career.
Karolina Pliskova vs Victoria Azarenka head-to-head
The two have faced off eight times before this, with the head-to-head being deadlocked at 4-4. Pliskova won their previous encounter at the 2019 Italian Open in three sets.
Karolina Pliskova vs Victoria Azarenka odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Karolina Pliskova vs Victoria Azarenka prediction
Both are former US Open finalists. Pliskova was the runner-up in 2016, while Azarenka made it to the championship round in 2012, 2013 and 2020. The duo have played some of their best tennis here, so this promises to be an exciting showdown.
Azarenka was at her dominating best in the third round against Martic. She dictated the proceedings for most of the match and finished with 22 winners and 12 unforced errors.
Pliskova had a relatively tougher outing in the previous round, but still put up a strong showing. She hammered 14 aces while striking 35 winners and committing 30 unforced errors.
Pliskova is a better server compared to Azarenka, but the two-time Grand Slam champion is an equally gifted returner. Both are excellent shotmakers, though the Czech's clumsy footwork is her undoing at times.
If Azarenka's able to get her on the move fairly often, the final outcome might swing in her favor. The Belarusian has looked to be in better form so far and is likely to come out on top in this encounter.
Pick: Victoria Azarenka to win in three sets.