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Match details
Fixture: (20) Petra Kvitova vs Sorana Cirstea
Date: 18 January 2022
Tournament: Australian Open 2022
Round: First round (Round of 128)
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
Petra Kvitova vs Sorana Cirstea preview
Petra Kvitova and Sorana Cirstea will lock horns in the first round of the 2022 Australian Open on Tuesday in a rematch of last year's second-round clash.
Kvitova, the 20th seed, suffered a tight three-set defeat to the Romanian on that occasion and will enter this contest looking to exact revenge. The former Australian Open finalist hasn't had the most promising of starts to the new season, but definitely has the game needed to flip things around for herself.
Cirstea will also be looking to rediscover the form that saw her surge to a second career title and return to the top 50 in the world rankings. last year.
The Romanian opened her season with a 6-0, 6-0 win against Varvara Gracheva but has since lost two successive matches. She delivered an error-strewn performance in her Adelaide International match against Anhelina Kalinina and will need to lift her game significantly to stand a chance at repeating last year's upset.
Petra Kvitova vs Sorana Cirstea head-to-head
Petra Kvitova leads Sorana Cirstea 5-3 in their current head-to-head. Their 2021 Australian Open encounter was their most recent meeting, which Cirstea took 6-4, 1-6, 6-1.
Petra Kvitova vs Sorana Cirstea prediction
The outcome of their last encounter notwithstanding, Petra Kvitova will enter this contest as the favorite. The Czech has delivered solid performances on serve this season, but has struggled to hold on to advantages.
The Czech had a healthy lead in her matches against Priscilla Hon and Ons Jabeur, but was uncharacteristically loose on the big points. That's an aspect of her game she will need to improve.
Both Kvitova and Cirstea like to take the ball early and play aggressively; there aren't likely to be too many long rallies in the contest. For Kvitova in particular, keeping the points short will be important as she has struggled in some of her longer matches of late.
IThe Czech's powerful groundstrokes have worked well on the Australian hardcourts in the past and if she keeps her unforced error count in check, she should be able to walk away with the win.
Prediction: Petra Kvitova to win in two tight sets
