WTA Finals 2021: Karolina Pliskova vs Barbora Krejcikova preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (2) Barbora Krejcikova vs (3) Karolina Pliskova
Date: 14 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: 2.00 pm local time, 8.00 pm GMT, 4 pm EST, 1.30 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Karolina Pliskova vs Barbora Krejcikova preview
Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Krejcikova will battle it out in their final tie of the Teotihuacán group of the 2021 WTA Finals on Sunday. While Pliskova is making her fifth consecutive appearance at the tournament, Krejcikova is on her debut run.
Karolina Pliskova began her campaign in Guadalajara, Mexico with a three-set win over Garbine Muguruza before losing her second tie against Anett Kontaveit 6-4, 6-0. She will be hoping for a straight-sets victory over her compatriot on Sunday to strengthen her chances of qualifying for the semifinals.
Krejcikova has been unable to register a win thus far. After being humbled by Kontaveit in her first match in straight sets, the 2021 Roland Garros champion fell short of the finish line against Garbine Muguruza. There is but a grim chance of her making the last four at the year-end championships, provided she prevails against Pliskova.
This infographic shows the possible scenarios of semi-final qualifications for the Teotihuacán group:
Cenários de classificação do grupo Teotihuacán no WTA Finals. Kontaveit já está garantida na semi, mas disputa o 1° lugar do grupo com a Muguruza no domingo. Pliskova e Krejcikova ainda com chances de 2° lugar. Tem possibilidade de uma vaga ser decidida no percentual de games. https://t.co/664E77bU2W
With Pliskova reaching the Wimbledon final and Krejcikova pulling off a singles-doubles sweep at Roland Garros, both women can derive plenty of positives from this season. They now have to give their all in their final round-robin tie to advance further into the WTA Finals.
Karolina Pliskova vs Barbora Krejcikova head-to-head
Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Krejcikova have met twice before and the former leads their head-to-head by 2-0. Their most recent meeting took place in 2018 at Roland Garros, when Pliskova won in straight sets.
Karolina Pliskova vs Barbora Krejcikova prediction
Although Karolina Pliskova leads the head-to-head over the world No.3, none of their meetings took place this year, when Barbora Krejcikova scripted her breakthrough into the singles circuit. Their match on Sunday, therefore, could turn out to be a riveting encounter.
While both Czechs possess heavy groundstrokes and a dependable serve, their overall game-style can be quite dissimilar. Pliskova is known for her flat ball-striking and unhurried movement. Krejcikova has a variety of shots in her repertoire. Her low-bouncing forehand slices and active net game could be a cause for worry for Pliskova.
The second seed will be desperate for a win in Guadalajara and will likely bring her A-game against Karolina Pliskova. If Barbora Krejcikova manages to stretch her compatriot to the extreme sides of the court and dominate the rallies, she should be able to clinch victory.
Prediction: Barbora Krejcikova to win in three sets.