WTA Finals 2022: Caroline Garcia vs Daria Kasatkina preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (6) Caroline Garcia vs (8) Daria Kasatkina.
Date: November 5, 2022.
Tournament: WTA Finals 2022.
Round: Round Robin.
Venue: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, United States.
Category: Year-ending championships.
Surface: Hardcourt.
Prize money: $5,000,000.
Match timing: Not before 3:30 pm local time, 4:30 pm ET, 8:30 pm GMT and 2 am IST.
Live telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video.
Caroline Garcia vs Daria Kasatkina preview
Caroline Garcia and Daria Kasatkina are set to clash in the final round-robin match of the 2022 WTA FInals on Saturday.
After kicking off her campaign with a win over Coco Gauff, Garcia went up against World No. 1 Iga Swiatek. She was the first to go up a break in the opening set, but the Pole wrested back the break immediately to level the score.
Garcia held another couple of break points in the fifth game in her bid to take a 3-2 lead, but Swiatek managed to hold serve. The three-time Major champion then broke the French player's serve in the eighth game to go 5-3 up and closed out the set after that to take a one-set lead.
Garcia lost serve in the very first game of the second set. She failed to capitalize on the three break points she had in the next game to get back on serve and instead fell behind 2-0. The 29-year old was unable to make any inroads into the match after this and went on to lose 6-3, 6-2.
Kasatkina lost her first group tie to Swiatek in straight sets, so it was imperative for her to win her next match against Gauff. The Russian started the proceedings by securing a break of serve, but lost the next four games to trail 4-1.
She then bagged three games in a row to level the score at 4-4. Kasatkina snagged another break to go 6-5 up, but failed to close out the set in the following game as she lost serve. Nevertheless, the 25-year old managed to clinch the set by winning the opening set tie-break.
The second set featured a lot of back and forth right off the bat. There were five breaks of serve across the first six games, with Kasatkina gaining the upper hand to lead 4-2. After another couple of games, she served out the match to win 7-6 (6), 6-3.
Dasha does it!
@DKasatkina holds off Gauff for her maiden WTA Finals win 👏
#WTAFinals https://t.co/JP20DpIGpk
Caroline Garcia vs Daria Kasatkina head-to-head
The two have split their previous couple of meetings evenly to tie the head-to-head at 1-1. Kasatkina won their previous encounter at the 2021 Silicon Valley Classic in three sets.
Caroline Garcia vs Daria Kasatkina odds
Odds will be added once they're available.
Caroline Garcia vs Daria Kasatkina prediction
Both players head into this encounter having won and lost a match each during the group stages. The winner of this meeting will qualify for the semifinals, so their fate rests in their own hands.
Garcia had the tough task of stopping a rampaging Swiatek in her last match and came up short. Unlike her match against Gauff, where she used plenty of angles in her shots, she hit them right in the middle of the court. She also tried to keep the points short, but the tactic didn't work against the World No. 1.
While Kasatkina managed to come out on top against Gauff, the level of tennis displayed by both players was quite subpar. Kasatkina has plenty of tools in her kit to trouble her opponents and a slightly aggressive mindset will reward her even more.
Kasatkina on her playoff vs. Garcia to qualify: "It's going to look like she's going to be a step
inside the court and I'll try to be a goalkeeper. So it's gonna be interesting to see how we're going to face this match, because very important match. There is pressure in the air." https://t.co/6w41SSWAnP
Garcia is likely to feast on the Russian's relatively weak serve, giving her a clear edge in this battle. If she's is able to avoid leaking unnecessary errors from her racquet, she's likely to emerge victorious.
Pick: Caroline Garcia to win in three sets.