Indian Wells 2022: Simona Halep vs Petra Martic preview, head-to-head and prediction | BNP Paribas Open

Match Details

Fixture: (24) Simona Halep vs Petra Martic

Date: 16 March 2022

Tournament: BNP Paribas Open

Round: Quarterfinals

Venue: Indian Wells, California, USA

Category: WTA 1000

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt

Prize money: $8,369,455

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

Simona Halep vs Petra Martic preview

Simona Halep will look to continue her good run of form at Indian Wells

24th seed Simona Halep will take on Petra Martic in the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Open on Wednesday. After a disappointing 2021 season, the Romanian has made an excellent start to 2022.

Halep won the Melbourne Summer Set and followed it up with a run to the fourth round of the Australian Open. However, she was beaten by Alize Cornet in a grueling encounter during which the heat got to both players.

The former World No. 1 then reached the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships after beating Alison Riske, Elena-Gabriela Ruse and eighth seed Ons Jabeur. She was knocked out by eventual champion Jelena Ostapenko in three sets.

Halep suffered an opening-round exit at the Qatar Open at the hands of Caroline Garcia.

The 30-year-old entered Indian Wells as the 24th seed and started with a hard-fought victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova. She then beat Coco Gauff and compatriot Sorana Cirstea in straight sets to book her place in the quarterfinals.

Martic, on the other hand, had a poor start to the year, suffering opening-round exits at the Melbourne Summer Set and the Australian Open. The Croatian reached the second round of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy after beating Kamilla Rakhimova. However, she lost to eighth seed Elise Mertens.

The 31-year-old then competed in the Monterrey Open and ousted third seed Madison Keys in the first round before losing to Marie Bouzkova in straight sets.

At Indian Wells, Martic started with a win over Anna Bondar. She then beat 19th seed Tamara Zidansek and US Open champion Emma Raducanu. In the fourth round, the Croatian got the better of 28th seed Liudmila Samsonova to reach the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event for the second time in her career.

Simona Halep vs Petra Martic head-to-head

Wednesday's match at Indian Wells will be the fourth meeting between the two players. Halep currently leads the head-to-head 2-1.

The pair last met in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Indian Wells Open, with the Romanian coming through 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3.

The winner of this match will face either Iga Swiatek or Madison Keys in the semifinals.

Simona Halep vs Petra Martic Prediction

Halep will enter the contest as the heavy favorite given her excellent form this season. The Romanian has won 14 out of 17 matches so far.

However, Martic has eliminated three seeded players so far and seems to be regaining some of the form which saw her achieve a career-high ranking of No. 14 in 2020.

Halep will adopt her customary counter-punching style to put the Croatian under pressure. The Romanian has an immaculate return game that will come in handy, given the 31-year-old is a decent server.

Martic will look to utilize her all-court game to keep Halep on her toes. The Croatian, however, will have to be immaculate on serve and minimize her unforced errors against an opponent at the top of her game.

The former World No. 1 likes the heavy conditions at Indian Wells and should have enough in her arsenal to breeze past the Croat.

Prediction: Simona Halep to win in straight sets