Australian Open 2022: Simona Halep vs Danka Kovinic preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (14) Simona Halep vs Danka Kovinic

Date: 22 January 2022

Tournament: Australian Open 2022

Round: Third round (Round of 32)

Venue: Melbourne, Australia

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt

Prize money: $75,000,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Liv

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Simona Halep vs Danka Kovinic preview

Halep at the 2022 Australian Open.

Former World No. 1 Simona Halep will continue her quest for a maiden Australian Open trophy against Danka Kovinic in the third round on Saturday.

Halep sent a warning to the rest of the field with a 6-2, 6-0 demolition of Beatriz Haddad Maia in the second round. The two-time Grand Slam winner was all over her opponent as she controlled the match from start to finish.

Halep was tipped to be a contender for the title before the start of the tournament. But with her section of the draw opening up following the exits of Garbine Muguruza and Anett Kontaveit, the odds of her going all the way have dropped drastically.

Danka Kovinic at the 2022 Australian Open.

Danka Kovinic, meanwhile, knocked out 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the second round. The Brit was hampered by a blister on her right hand and Kovinic took full advantage as she battled to a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win.

Kovinic's third-round appearance at the 2022 Australian Open is her best Grand Slam result so far. She has been the flagbearer of tennis in Montenegro for years and her latest achievement is sure to inspire more people to pick up the sport in her homeland.

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Simona Halep vs Danka Kovinic head-to-head

The two have played just once previously, with Halep leading 1-0 in the head-to-head. The Romanian won 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Bucharest Open.

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Simona Halep vs Danka Kovinic prediction

Halep at the 2022 Australian Open.

Halep is the clear favorite to win this match. She is on a seven-match winning streak that began with her run to the title at the Melbourne Summer Set a couple of weeks ago.

Kovinic certainly won't go down without a fight. Defeating Raducanu would've boosted her confidence and she will now know that she can go toe-to-toe with a Grand Slam champion.

That said, she was stretched to three sets by a player who was hampered physically. There were opportunities she didn't capitalize on in the match and she cannot afford such lapses against Halep.

Injuries wreaked havoc on Halep's 2021 season, but the former World No. 1 appears to be back to her best and should advance to the next round relatively easily.

Prediction: Simona Halep to win in straight sets.

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Also check out: Australian Open 2022 Schedule of Play