Linz 2021: Simona Halep vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich preview, head-to-head & prediction | Upper Austria Ladies

Match details

Fixture: (2) Simona Halep vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich

Date: 9 November 2021

Tournament: Upper Austria Ladies Linz

Round: Second round (Round of 16)

Venue: Linz, Austria

Category: WTA 250

Surface: Indoor hardcourt

Prize money: $235,238

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

Simona Halep vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich preview

Second seed Simona Halep will take on her Indian Wells conqueror Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round of the Linz WTA 250 event on Tuesday. Sasnovich overcame Fiona Ferro to set up the encounter with Halep, who received a bye in the first round.

Simona Halep's prolonged injury concerns kept her off the tour for a significant part of the season. That also caused her to drop out of the top 10 of the rankings for the first time in seven years; she currently sits at No. 22 in the world.

Nevertheless, the Romanian comes into Linz eagerly looking for her maiden title of the year. She might also be able to draw confidence from her terrific run to the final at the Transylvania Open last week, where she lost to Anett Kontaveit.

Aliaksandra Sasnovich at the 2021 BNP Paribas Open

Aliaksandra Sasnovich, meanwhile, played her last match in Indian Wells about a month ago. The Belarusian pulled off upsets over Simona Halep and US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the Californian desert, before eventually losing to Victoria Azarenka in the fourth round.

Sasnovich made her way to the quarterfinals in Linz last year, and will be hoping to go further this week in what will be the final WTA 250 tournament of the season.

Simona Halep vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich head-to-head

Simona Halep and Aliaksandra Sasnovich have met each other twice before, and their head-to-head currently stands at 1-1. Sasnovich won their most recent encounter in straight sets, which took place in Indian Wells last month.

Simona Halep vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich prediction

Aliaksandra Sasnovich plays an aggressive brand of tennis and looks to trouble her opponents with her clever ball-maneuvering and angles. Simona Halep, on the other hand, uses her exceptional foot speed and consistent baseline hitting to outlast her opponents in long and grueling exchanges.

Simona Halep at the 2021 BNP Paribas Open

Neither player is the strongest of servers, but they both do usually maintain a decent first-serve percentage. The Romanian, unlike Sasnovich, doesn't make too many unforced errors either off the serve or from the back of the court, and she is also a proficient returner.

Sasnovich is likely to be rusty after a nearly month-long break, and her opponent will look to exploit any slip-ups. If Halep stays consistent on serve and draws errors off Sasnovich's fast-paced groundstrokes, she should be able to eke out a win.

Prediction: Simona Halep to win in three sets.