Wimbledon 2021: Iga Swiatek vs Irina-Camelia Begu preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (7) Iga Swiatek vs Irina Camelia Begu
Date: 2 July 2021
Tournament: The Championships, Wimbledon
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
Venue: London, Great Britain
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Grass
Prize money: £17,066,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Iga Swiatek vs Irina-Camelia Begu preview
Seventh seed Iga Swiatek will continue her quest for her second Grand Slam title when she takes on World No. 79 Irina-Camelia Begu in the third round of Wimbledon on Friday.
Swiatek followed up her maiden win at the All England Club with a straight-forward 6-1, 6-3 victory over former finalist Vera Zvonareva in the second round.
Since winning her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros last year, the 20-year-old Pole has been riding a wave of momentum. She has picked up two titles (Rome and Adelaide) so far this year and cracked the top 10 for the first time in May.
The former junior champion at SW19 hasn't lost a set all week and has looked in supreme touch.
Her next opponent, 30-year-old Irina-Camelia Begu is returning to the third round of Wimbledon for the first time since 2015. After battling past qualifier Katie Volynets in the first round, the Romanian pulled off an upset win over 26th seed Petra Martic 7-5, 6-7(7), 6-3 in the second.
Begu reached a career-high ranking of No. 22 in the world back in 2016. However, her form has tailed off of late and she has remained outside the top 50 for two years now.
While she has struggled in singles, she has enjoyed some success in doubles, making a semi-final run at the 2021 Roland Garros alongside Nadia Podoroska.
Begu will hope to build on her two wins at Wimbledon and pull off another upset to earn a fourth-round spot for the third time at a Slam.
Iga Swiatek vs Irina-Camelia Begu head-to-head
Swiatek and Begu have never faced each other before, so their head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Iga Swiatek vs Irina-Camelia Begu prediction
By dint of her recent form and superior ranking, Swiatek enters this clash as the overwhelming favorite. Begu, however, has tons of experience against top players over the course of her career and could prove to be a challenging opponent.
Both women put up strong performances in their respective second-round encounters. Begu struck a whopping 40 winners against Martic and hit six aces. Swiatek, meanwhile, won 77% of her first-serve points and was broken only once.
Begu uses her backhand slice to diffuse the opponent's power and she also has the ability to extend rallies. That should come in handy against a ball-striker like Swiatek.
The Pole, however, has been in stellar form of late. Her footwork, along with her powerful topspin forehand, should enable her to dictate play and she should be able to come through this contest without much fuss.
Prediction: Iga Swiatek to win in straight sets