Bad Homburg Open 2021: Petra Kvitova vs Katarzyna Piter preview, head-to-head & prediction

Petra Kvitova

Match details

Fixture: (1) Petra Kvitova vs Katarzyna Piter

Date: 21 June 2021

Tournament: Bad Homburg Open 2021

Round: First round (Round of 32)

Venue: Bad Homburg, Germany

Category: WTA 250

Surface: Grass

Prize money: $235,238

Match timing: Not before 4.30 pm local time, 2.30 pm GMT, 10.30 am, 8 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video

Petra Kvitova vs Katarzyna Piter preview

Top seed Petra Kvitova is set to open her Bad Homburg Open campaign with a first-round encounter against Polish qualifier Katrazyna Piter on Monday.

Kvitova, making a return to the tour following an ankle injury sustained at Roland Garros, will be keen to make a winning start on grass. This is, of course, the surface that is best suited for the Czech's power-packed game.

Katarzyna Piter

Piter, meanwhile, has already made a strong start to the tournament here. Playing in the qualification rounds, the Pole came through a hard-fought encounter against talented youngster Nastasja Schunk to secure a spot in the main draw.

Piter has been on tour for quite some time now, and has notched up wins over the likes of Sofia Kenin and Kiki Bertens in the past. The Pole could certainly ask a few questions of Kvitova on Monday.

Petra Kvitova vs Katarzyna Piter head-to-head

This is set to be the first career meeting between Petra Kvitova and Katarzyna Piter, so their current head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.

Petra Kvitova vs Katarzyna Piter prediction

Petra Kvitova will look to test her game in her first match on grass in nearly two years

Given the huge gulf in ranking and experience, Petra Kvitova will enter this contest as the firm favorite. The Czech hasn't played a match on grass in nearly two years, and will be looking to fine-tune her game on Monday.

Kvitova has an aggressive baseline game that is tailor-made for quick conditions. Her flat groundstrokes and lefty serve can inflict a lot of damage on grass.

The top seed will step out looking to take control of the match from the baseline, and the onus will be on Katarzyna Piter to find answers to her opponent's power. The Pole does have a few strengths of her own - a strong forehand and nifty front-court skills - but a lot will depend on her ability to hang around in rallies long enough to extract errors from Kvitova's racket.

That said, if Kvitova can find the range on her groundstrokes early and remain solid behind her serve, she should be able to come through unscathed.

Prediction: Petra Kvitova to win in straight sets.