Paris Olympics 2024: Angelique Kerber vs Jaqueline Cristian preview, head-to-head, prediction, and pick

Match Details

Fixture: Angelique Kerber vs Jaqueline Cristian

Date: TBD

Tournament: Paris Olympics 2024

Venue: Roland Garros, Paris, France

Category: Women's Singles

Surface: Clay

Prize Money: NA

Live Telecast: USA - NBC, CNBC, Telemundo, Peacock, E!, Fubo | | India - Sports18 Network, JioCinema | UK - BBC, discovery+/Eurosport

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Angelique Kerber vs Jaqueline Cristian preview

Playing in her last competitive tournament, Angelique Kerber opened her 2024 Paris Olympics campaign with a stunning upset of fellow former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka. Jaqueline Cristian, on the other hand, defeated Caroline Garcia in the first-round to set up an exciting second-round encounter.

Kerber, who won the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, has not been too active over the last couple of years. Since returning from her maternity leave at the beginning of 2024, she has played intermittently to put together a win-loss record of 7-14 for the season.

The German’s 7-5, 6-3 win over Osaka was her biggest in quite some time and she will look to build on the momentum.

Cristian after beating Caroline Garcia in the opening round (Image via Getty)

Meanwhile, Cristian overcame Garcia in her Olympic debut, winning 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 after trailing in the first set. The Romanian, who first appeared on the scene in 2022, has overcome a serious knee injury from the previous year. When the rankings are updated on Monday, she will be at a new career high of No. 57 thanks to her 21–21 win–loss record for the season.

The 26-year-old has reached the quarterfinals in her previous two tournaments, both played on clay, building momentum for Paris, and will thus be confident heading into the second match.

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Angelique Kerber vs Jaqueline Cristian head-to-head

Kerber and Cristian have never crossed paths on the Tour before, so their current head-to-head stands at 0-0..

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Angelique Kerber vs Jaqueline Cristian odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Angelique Kerber
Jaqueline Cristian

(Odds will be updated soon.)

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Angelique Kerber vs Jaqueline Cristian prediction

Kerber is playing in her final comeptitive tournament (Image via Getty)

The match will pit Jaqueline Cristian’s firepower against Angelique Kerber’s intense counterpunching skills in an intriguing match-up of varying styles.

Cristian likes to go after her shots and has a crucial weapon in the form of her serve. When in top form, her serve can earn her numerous points, as demonstrated by her 28 unreturned serves against Garcia in the opening match.

Playing against Kerber, however, she will need to be careful. The German is a master at using her opponent’s pace against them. Over the years, the 36-year-old has shown her ability to soak up a lot of pressure while refusing to relent from the baseline. Pitted against the firepower of Osaka, she held her ground with characteristic stealth and could frustrate Cristian just as easily.

Cristian will also need to be careful, as feeding Kerber pace will simply be playing into her hands. The youngster, who has the knack of going off-kilter when things are not going her way, will need to be very patient against an opponent like Kerber.

The German is a seasoned competitor with a formidable arsenal of groundstrokes capable of dominating crucial moments. Her experience and champion's mindset will be essential in overcoming Cristian's challenge.

Prediction: Kerber to win in three sets