Indian Wells 2022: Karolina Pliskova vs Danka Kovinic preview, head-to-head & prediction | BNP Paribas Open

Match details

Fixture: (7) Karolina Pliskova vs Danka Kovinic.

Date: 11 March 2022.

Tournament: BNP Paribas Open.

Round: Second round (Round of 64).

Venue: Indian Wells, USA.

Category: WTA 1000.

Surface: Hardcourt.

Prize money: $8,369,455.

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

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Karolina Pliskova vs Danka Kovinic preview

Karolina Pliskova at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships.

Former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova will take on Danka Kovinic in the second round of the 2022 Indian Wells Open on Friday.

After some subpar results at the start of 2021, Pliskova stepped up her game in the second half of the year. She reached her second Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, losing to Ashleigh Barty in three sets.

The Czech continued her stellar run of form during the North American hardcourt swing. Pliskova was a finalist in Canada and made it to the semifinals in Cincinnati. She followed that up by reaching the quarterfinals of the US Open.

At Indian Wells, she was upset in the third round by Beatriz Haddad Maia. She then qualified for the WTA Finals for the fifth consecutive year, but failed to progress beyond the round-robin stage.

Pliskova sustained a hand injury while training at the start of 2022 and has been on the sidelines ever since. The BNP Paribas Open will be her first tournament of the season.

Danka Kovinic at the 2022 Australian Open.

Kovinic, meanwhile, didn't win a main draw match this year until the Australian Open. She defeated Jang Su-jeong in the first round and followed it up with a stunning upset of 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the next round.

In the process, Kovinic made it to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career where she lost to Simona Halep in straight sets.

She was then knocked out in the opening round in Lyon by Arantxa Rus.

Kovinic squeezed past Jil Teichmann in two tight sets, winning 7-5, 7-5 to start her 2022 Indian Wells Open campaign.

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Karolina Pliskova vs Danka Kovinic head-to-head

This will be the first encounter between the two players, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.

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Karolina Pliskova vs Danka Kovinic prediction

Karolina Pliskova at the 2021 Australian Open.

Pliskova is returning from a lengthy injury layoff, so she is bound to be rusty. It's quite difficult to predict how she's going to play in her first match of the season.

Consequently, Kovinic has a good shot at recording an upset here. She'll need to capitalize on the Czech's lack of match practice and look to dictate proceedings right from the start.

What works in Pliskova's favor is her record at Indian Wells. The former World No. 1 has reached the quarterfinals or better in four of her seven appearances and has a 19-7 record at the tournament. She loves playing in these conditions and knows how to use them to her advantage.

Pliskova has been one of the tour's leading servers over the last few years. She usually has a high ace count and is able to end points quickly after landing a good first serve. She's also quite comfortable at the net and her flat groundstrokes are hit with pace and precision.

Ultimately, this encounter could come down to whether Pliskova is fully healthy as Kovinic's record against top players doesn't inspire much confidence. If the Czech has recovered well, she should be able to get past her opponent despite her lack of competitive action.

Prediction: Karolina Pliskova to win in three sets.