WTA Finals 2021: Barbora Krejcikova vs Garbine Muguruza preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (2) Barbora Krejcikova vs (6) Garbine Muguruza
Date: 12 November 2021
Tournament: Akron WTA Finals 2021
Round: Round robin (Group Teotihuacán)
Venue: Guadalajara, Mexico
Category: Year-ending championships
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $5,000,000
Match timing: 7.30 pm local time, 1.30 am GMT, 7 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Barbora Krejcikova vs Garbine Muguruza preview
2021 Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova will take on former French Open winner Garbine Muguruza in the second round-robin tie of group Teotihuacán at the WTA Finals.
Krejcikova's singles debut at the WTA Finals got off to a bad start as she was defeated by the in-form Anett Kontaveit 6-3, 6-4. She didn't earn a single break point on the Estonian's serve and was outclassed from start to finish.
Her poor showing could have been partly due to an injury she sustained during the Billie Jean King Cup. The World No. 3 will now have to regroup and figure out a way to step up in her next match as she looks to keep her campaign in Guadalajara alive.
Garbine Muguruza, making her return to the season-ending event, also started off on a losing note as she went down 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(8) to Karolina Pliskova.
The Spaniard's record against the former World No. 1 is a lopsided 2-8, but after winning the first set it looked like Muguruza was about to marginally improve the head-to-head. However, the Spaniard was outplayed in the second set and didn't capitalize on her opportunities in the final set.
The final-set tie-break was a nervy affair, with both players constantly conceding mini-breaks. Pliskova, however, held her nerve at the end and edged out the Spaniard.
Muguruza faces another player from the Czech Republic next, and with a 16-26 career record against them, the two-time Slam champion will have a tough task on her hands.
Barbora Krejcikova vs Garbine Muguruza head-to-head
Barbora Krejcikova and Garbine Muguruza have played thrice before, with the Czech leading 2-1 in head-to-head. All three meetings took place this year, with their most recent encounter at the US Open ending in controversy. Muguruza accused her opponent of being "unprofessional" by taking a lengthy time-out near the closing stages of the match.
"Thank you, I'm sorry" 😬
"That is so unprofessional" 😤
Barbora Krejcikova and Garbine Muguruza have a tense exchange at the net after the Czech wins their #USOpen last-16 encounter following a lengthy medical timeout https://t.co/JopI50J0zi
Barbora Krejcikova vs Garbine Muguruza prediction
Both players will be looking to get their campaign at the WTA Finals back on track after a disappointing start. Garbine Muguruza played at a much higher level than Barbora Krejcikova in her opener, and enters the contest as a slight favorite.
Both players like to play an aggressive brand of tennis, but the Czech is much more consistent and has more variety in her game as well. Krejcikova's groundstrokes have considerable topspin and she uses her backhand slice and drop shots to switch things up during rallies.
Having faced off against the Czech three times already this season, Muguruza will be familiar with her opponent's tactics. The Spaniard, on her part, will need to play with a bit more caution to keep her unforced error count in check. Ultimately, Muguruza might just have enough in the tank to eke out the win.
Prediction: Garbine Muguruza to win in three sets