Australian Open 2021: Karolina Pliskova vs Karolina Muchova preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (6) Karolina Pliskova vs (25) Karolina Muchova

Date: 13 February 2021

Tournament: Australian Open 2021

Round: Third round (Round of 32)

Venue: Melbourne, Australia

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt

Prize money: AUD $80 million

Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | India - Sony Six

Karolina Pliskova vs Karolina Muchova preview

Sixth seed Karolina Pliskova takes on 25th seed Karolina Muchova in an all-Czech third-round match at the 2021 Australian Open on Saturday.

Pliskova has largely struggled ever since her runner-up finish to Simona Halep at Rome last year. She has failed to string together two consecutive wins in her four subsequent tournaments, including the Abu Dhabi Open and the Yarra Valley Classic this season.

Considering that Pliskova usually thrives in the Australian Open tune-up events, it was surprising to see the three-time Brisbane International champion fall early in Melbourne last week. The former World No. 1 was shown the door by the 40th-ranked Danielle Collins in the Round of 16.

But one week on, Pliskova has avenged that defeat. The World No. 6 served seven aces on her way to a resounding 7-5, 6-2 win over Collins in the Australian Open second round, after having pummeled Jasmine Paolini 6-0, 6-2 in the first.

On the other hand, Karolina Muchova's best performance last year was reaching the fourth round of the US Open, where she stretched eventual runner-up Victoria Azarenka to three sets.

The former Wimbledon quarterfinalist has cemented her place in the world's top 30 for some time now. Muchova has a fearless attitude and the kind of game that causes big upsets every now and then, as evidenced by her wins over Garbine Muguruza and Karolina Pliskova at the US Open and Wimbledon respectively.

The 24-year-old entered the 2021 Australian Open on the back of a quarterfinal appearance at the Gippsland Trophy last week. In the first round she dispatched former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko 7-5, 6-2, before continuing her good form with a 6-4, 6-1 beatdown of Mona Barthel.

Karolina Pliskova vs Karolina Muchova head-to-head

Karolina Pliskova and Karolina Muchova are tied 1-1 in their head-to-head. Pliskova blew away her compatriot 6-3, 6-2 at the 2019 Australian Open, but Muchova turned the tables with a hard-fought 4-6, 7-5, 13-11 win at Wimbledon that same year.

Karolina Pliskova vs Karolina Muchova prediction

Both the Czechs enjoy playing on faster surfaces. Besides, they were also practice partners last year and know each other's game inside out.

Karolina Muchova has a solid baseline game, but she can also mix things up with slices and drop shots. The 24-year-old is quite efficient at the net too, which was a big factor in her thrilling win over Karolina Pliskova at Wimbledon.

However, Karolina Pliskova is coming into this match on the back of a huge confidence-boosting win over Danielle Collins. The former US Open runner-up won 70% of her first-serve points in the first set and improved the number to 77% in the second. She also cut down on her unforced errors as the match progressed, leaking just seven in the second set as compared to 11 in the opener.

If she can get her serve going and keep her errors to a minimum, Pliskova would fancy her chances of returning to the Australian Open second week for the first time since 2019.

Prediction: Karolina Pliskova to win in three sets.

Edited by Musab Abid