Ostrava 2021: Petra Kvitova vs Anastasia Potapova preview, head-to-head & prediction | J&T Banka Open

Match details

Fixture: (2) Petra Kvitova vs Anastasia Potapova

Date: 22 September 2021

Tournament: Ostrava Open 2021

Round: Second round (Round of 16)

Venue: Ostrava, Czech Republic

Category: WTA 500

Surface: Indoor hardcourt

Prize money: $565,530

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

Petra Kvitova vs Anastasia Potapova preview

Petra Kvitova will open her 2021 Ostrava Open campaign with a second-round encounter against Russia's Anastasia Potapova on Wednesday.

Kvitova, the highest-ranked Czech player in the draw, is coming off of an underwhelming North American swing. The 31-year-old will be hopeful of turning over a new leaf at her home event here in Ostrava.

In the form of Potapova, however, Kvitova faces a potentially tricky opening-round opponent.

Anastasia Potapova has already played three matches this week.

Potapova has already come through three good match wins here this week. The Russian won consecutive matches in the qualification rounds before ousting Caroline Garcia in her first main-draw match on Monday.

Potapova has endured a rough few months on tour, and will be eyeing her first quarterfinal appearance at a WTA event since June.

Petra Kvitova vs Anastasia Potapova head-to-head

This is set to be the first career meeting between Petra Kvitova and Anastasia Potapova, so their current head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.

Petra Kvitova vs Anastasia Potapova prediction

Service numbers will be key to Petra Kvitova's success.

Given the huge gulf in ranking and level of experience, Petra Kvitova will be the firm favorite heading into this second-round contest against Anastasia Potapova.

The two-time Grand Slam champion hasn't had the best lead-up to her home tournament, having suffered early exits in her last few tournaments. She did show signs of returning to her best in her Cincinnati and New York campaigns though, where she made it to the quarterfinals and third round respectively.

Kvitova's power-packed game is likely to benefit from the closed roof conditions in Ostrava, but a lot will depend on the Czech's service numbers. When at her best, she can be hard to keep up with on serve. However, Kvitova has blown hot-and-cold in that department this season.

Potapova on her part is a strong baseliner who relies on her power-packed groundstrokes to hit past her opponents. She will look to turn this match into a physical battle, and the onus will be on Kvitova to remain accurate even in the long rallies.

Potapova is unlikely to go down without a fight, but if Kvitova can keep her unforced errors under check, she should have enough game to come through in the end.

Prediction: Petra Kvitova to win in two tight sets.