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Fixture: (1) Iga Swiatek vs (28) Bernarda Pera
Date: April 30, 2023
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open 2023
Round: Third Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €7,652,174
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Iga Swiatek vs Bernarda Pera preview
Top seed Iga Swiatek will take on World No. 35 Bernarda Pera in the third round of the 2023 Madrid Open on Sunday.
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After a first-round bye, Swiatek kicked off her quest for a maiden title in Madrid against lucky loser Julia Grabher. She secured an early break of serve to go 4-1 up in the opening set. The Pole defended the lead quite easily and soon went on to clinch the set.
Swiatek then broke her opponent's serve twice to lead 3-0 in the second set. Grabher bagged the next couple of games to make it 3-2. But the World No. 1 nipped the Austrian's comeback in the bud as she claimed the next three games to win the match 6-3, 6-2.
Pera, meanwhile, was up against 2022 Wimbledon semifinalist Tatjana Maria in the second round. The first set was quite one-sided as the American dropped just one game en route to winning it.
The second set was slightly more competitive. Both players defended their serve quite well for the most part. Pera nabbed the decisive break in the eighth game to go 5-3 up. She then served out the match with ease to win 6-1, 6-3.
Iga Swiatek vs Bernarda Pera head-to-head
This will be the first main-draw meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now. They did face off in a qualifying round once before, with Swiatek winning that encounter in three sets back in 2019.
Iga Swiatek vs Bernarda Pera odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Iga Swiatek vs Bernarda Pera prediction
Swiatek was rather solid against Grabher to score her first win in Madrid since 2021. Pera, too, scored a rather comfortable win over Maria in the previous round. The American didn't even face a single break point, while winning 75% of her first-serve points.
Pera has had some good results on clay in the past, including back-to-back titles at the WTA 250 level last year. However, Swiatek is a cut above everyone else on the surface. Since winning her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2020 French Open, the World No. 1 has lost just three matches on the red dirt.
Pera's forehand has some heavy topspin, with her backhand being pretty reliable as well. She isn't afraid to go for her shots and could give Swiatek some trouble if she plays aggressively.
However, Swiatek is too good at figuring players out and neutralizing their weapons. Expect her to continue her march into the Round of 16.
Pick: Iga Swiatek to win in straight sets.
