Wimbledon 2021: Petra Kvitova vs Sloane Stephens preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (10) Petra Kvitova vs Sloane Stephens
Date: 28 June 2021
Tournament: The Championships, Wimbledon
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: London, Great Britain
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Grass
Prize money: £17,066,000
Match timing: Approx. 4 pm local time, 3 pm GMT, 11 am EST, 8.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Petra Kvitova vs Sloane Stephens preview
The first round of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships will see two-time former winner Petra Kvitova take on America's Sloane Stephens in a marquee encounter on Monday.
The 10th-seeded Kvitova has had a decent lead-up to Wimbledon, making it to the semifinals of the Bad Homburg Open. That has been her only grasscourt tournament of the year so far.
The Czech finds herself in the relatively open bottom half of the draw at SW19, and will be looking to make the best of the opportunity. Against a fellow Grand Slam winner in Stephens, though, Kvitova faces an incredibly tough opening match.
Stephens on her part is entering the tournament with no match practice on grass. She has been a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon in the past, but the grasscourt Slam remains the American's least successful of the four.
That said, Stephens did look in good form during her run to the second week at Roland Garros last month. She would now be hoping for a smooth transition to the faster conditions at Wimbledon.
Petra Kvitova vs Sloane Stephens head-to-head
Sloane Stephens leads Petra Kvitova in their current head-to-head with a slender 2-1 margin. But it was the Czech who took their most recent meeting, at the 2019 Wuhan Open.
Petra Kvitova vs Sloane Stephens prediction
Petra Kvitova's power-packed game often comes alive on the lawns of the All England Club. And with a wide-open draw, the two-time champion will be sensing a huge opportunity.
Kvitova's lefty serve and flat groundstrokes were firing on all cylinders in Bad Homburg, and it took a gutsy performance from Angelique Kerber to end her run. The Czech will be looking to pick up right where she left off in the German city.
But Kvitova needs to be wary of Sloane Stephens' dogged game and ability to hang around in rallies. The American has troubled Kvitova in the past with her consistent baseline hitting, and if playing at her best, could well push the former champion on Monday.
Kvitova has shown flashes of her best tennis in the lead-up to the tournament, but this contest could prove to be a big test of her mental strength. She will step out on Center Court as the favorite, and if she can keep a check on her early-round jitters, the 31-year-old should be able to walk away with a win.
Prediction: Petra Kvitova to win in two tight sets.