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Fixture: (10) Barbora Krejcikova vs Danka Kovinic.
Date: May 12, 2023.
Tournament: Italian Open 2023.
Round: Second Round (Round of 64).
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €3,572,618.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Barbora Krejcikova vs Danka Kovinic preview
2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova will take on Danka Kovinic in the second round of the 2023 Italian Open on Friday.
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Krejcikova started her clay season at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. She handed Liudmila Samsonova a 6-2, 6-0 drubbing in the first round, but she was ousted by nemesis Aryna Sabalenka in the next round. At the Madrid Open, she made it to the fourth round, where she lost to Petra Martic.
Krejcikova has competed in Rome just once before, back in 2021. She made it to the third round and could've progressed further had she converted either of her two match points against Iga Swiatek. She skipped the tournament last year due to an injury.
Kovinic was up against home favorite Lucia Bronzetti in the first round of the Italian Open. The former raced to a 5-1 lead in the opening set, but she stumbled while trying to close out the set. After dropping the next two games, the Montenegrin managed to serve out the set on her second try.
Kovinic started the second set by securing a break of serve but lost the next four games to trail 4-1. She then put up a fight by claiming the next couple of games, but Bronzetti captured the next two games to clinch the set.
Kovinic held serve to start the deciding set, after which there were seven consecutive breaks of serve. The 28-year old got the upper hand to lead 5-3 and closed out the proceedings in the next game to win 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
Barbora Krejcikova vs Danka Kovinic head-to-head
Krejcikova leads Kovinic 1-0 in the head-to-head at the WTA level. She won their previous encounter at the 2023 Madrid Open in three sets.
Barbora Krejcikova vs Danka Kovinic odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Barbora Krejcikova va Danka Kovinic prediction
Kovinic earned a hard-fought win over Bronzetti to make it through the first round. She got broken seven times during the match and will need to beef up her serve before her next contest. While the 28-year-old did manage to break her opponent's serve eight times as well, she could find it tough to do the same in the next round.
Krejcikova and Kovinic faced off just a couple of weeks ago in Madrid. After splitting the first two sets, the Czech ran away with the third, dishing out a bagel to emerge victorious.
The former French Open champion has a game well-suited for clay. Her topspin heavy forehand is tough to deal with, and her backhand is equally strong. Her doubles experience makes her even more dangerous.
Kovinic is no slouch on the red dirt and is known to cause an upset from time to time. As evident by their Madrid clash, she has the potential to make it a competitive battle, but Krejcikova should move on to the next round.
Pick: Barbora Krejcikova to win in straight sets.
