WTA Finals 2022: Iga Swiatek vs Caroline Garcia preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Iga Swiatek vs (6) Caroline Garcia.
Date: November 3, 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 5 pm local time, 6 pm ET, 10 pm GMT and 3:30 am IST.
Live telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video.
Iga Swiatek vs Caroline Garcia preview
Three-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek will square off against World No. 6 Caroline Garcia in the group stage of the 2022 WTA Finals on Thursday.
Swiatek kicked off her quest for a maiden year-end championship crown against Daria Kasatkina. She jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first set, but had to erase a couple of break points to secure it. The World No. 1 even held a couple of break points to go 4-0 up, but the Russian managed to get herself out of trouble.
That wasn't enough as Swiatek broke Kasatkina's serve in the eighth game to clinch the set. She got off to a strong start in the second set as well, once again racing to a 3-0 lead. The Pole didn't squander her advantage and soon wrapped up the match to win 6-2, 6-3.
Caroline Garcia faced home favorite Coco Gauff in her first round-robin encounter. Gauff commenced proceedings on a positive note as she broke her opponent's serve at the start of the match. However, Garcia managed to retrieve the break immediately in the next game to level the score.
The two were dead even on serve over the next few games. With Gauff serving to stay in the set at 5-4, Garcia broke her serve to claim the opening set. The World No. 6 was the first to go up a break in the second set as she led 3-1, but the American wrestled back the break to make it 3-2.
Garcia then snagged another break to lead 4-2 and didn't allow Gauff any more chances to get back into the match, winning the contest 6-4, 6-3.
Iga Swiatek vs Caroline Garcia head-to-head
The two have split their previous couple of meetings evenly to tie the head-to-head at 1-1. Garcia won their last encounter at the 2022 Poland Open in three sets.
Iga Swiatek vs Caroline Garcia odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Iga Swiatek vs Caroline Garcia prediction
Swiatek was dominant against Kasatkina in the previous match. She took her serve up a notch and was firing forehands from all over the court. It wasn't just a display of raw power tennis, but also tactical acumen.
Garcia was tested slightly by Gauff, but most of the time it was the French player who dictated the match. She moved quite well and displayed a great sense of touch with some brilliant volleys. Her point construction was also commendable and she utilized plenty of angled shots from time to time to great effect.
Garcia is one of the few players to defeat the World No. 1 this year. She needed three sets to get past her when they faced off in Swiatek's native Poland a few months ago. The World No. 6 has the game to trouble Swiatek, but the latter has been a cut above the rest the entire year and is likely to come out on top.
Pick: Iga Swiatek to win in straight sets.