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Match details
Fixture: (WC) Garbine Muguruza vs (PR) Bianca Andreescu
Tournament: Adelaide International 1
Round: First round (Round of 32)
Venue: Memorial Drive Tennis Centre, Adelaide, Australia
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $826,837
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Garbine Muguruza vs Bianca Andreescu preview
Former World No. 1 Garbine Muguruza will lock horns with 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in the first round of the 2023 Adelaide International 1.
Much was expected from Muguruza after a successful 2021. While inconsistency has been a trademark of her game, she recorded her worst season in years in 2022. She managed to win just 12 matches throughout the year and scraped together two wins in a row just twice.
The Spaniard defeated Madison Brengle and Sorana Cirstea to make the last eight at the Qatar Open. She also made it to the third round of the US Open and lost a hard-fought contest against Petra Kvitova in a final set tie-break. She reached another couple of quarterfinals as well, but thanks to a first-round bye, she needed to win just one match to reach that stage.
Muguruza's ranking took a huge hit due to her dismal results and ended the year ranked outside the top 50, her lowest finish since 2013.
Andreescu missed the first few months of the 2022 season and returned to action at the start of the clay swing. Her best result during this period was a quarterfinal at the Italian Open, where she lost to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in straight sets. She performed slightly better on grass after that.
The Canadian reached her first and only final of the year at Bad Homburg but lost to a resurgent Caroline Garcia in three close sets. She then reached the third round of the Canadian Open, the US Open and the Guadalajara Open. She closed out her year by competing in the Billie Jean King Cup, where she won one of her two matches.
The 22-year-old recently competed in an exhibition event as well, the World Tennis League. However, her team failed to make it past the group stage.
Garbine Muguruza vs Bianca Andreescu head-to-head
Andreescu leads Muguruza 2-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2021 Miami Open in three sets.
Garbine Muguruza vs Bianca Andreescu odds
(Odds will be added once they're available)
Garbine Muguruza vs Bianca Andreescu prediction
After a horrendous 2022, Muguruza will be aiming to recapture her former glory. Andreescu had comparatively better results than the Spaniard, but both are a long way off from the form that won them Grand Slams.
Muguruza's game plan frequently went awry last year and rarely was she able to regroup. The stress and panic were palpable as her shots went haywire. There was a time when she dictated the play with authority, but that aura was nowhere to be found over the past year.
Andreescu, on the other hand, had flashes of brilliance. Though she has strayed a bit from the formula that fetched her success initially and has incorporated a more aggressive strategy, to mixed results. It's tough to say how either will perform in their very first match of the new season, but based on previous results, one has to side with Andreescu yet again.
Pick: Bianca Andreescu to win in three sets.
