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Match details
Fixture: (1) Iga Swiatek vs Cristina Bucsa.
Date: January 20, 2023.
Tournament: Australian Open 2023.
Round: Third round (Round of 32).
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Prize money: A$76,500,000.
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Ten & Sony Liv.
Iga Swiatek vs Cristina Bucsa preview
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will aim for a last-16 berth when she takes on Moldovan-born Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa in the third round of the 2023 Australian Open on Friday.
Swiatek arrived Down Under on the back of the best season of her career. The Pole collected eight titles last year, including the French Open and US Open.
Swiatek started off the 2023 season well, registering wins over Belinda Bencic, Yulia Putintseva and Martina Trevisan at the United Cup. However, the 21-year-old was annihilated 6-2, 6-2 by World No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the semifinals of the mixed-team event.
It set off alarm bells ahead of the first Major of the season, where the top seed made the semifinals last year. However, Swiatek has since restored order, winning her first couple of rounds at the Australian Open in straight sets.
After a gritty 6-4, 7-5 win over the feisty Jule Niemeier, the three-time Major winner swatted aside Camila Osorio 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday to book her spot in the last 32.
Swiatek's next opponent, Cristina Bucsa, meanwhile, mostly plies her trade on the ITF circuit and in WTA Challenger events. Her best performances last year were a couple of semifinal finishes in the WTA 125 events in Contrexeville and Andorra.
On the ITF circuit, she has four singles titles and five runner-up appearances.
Currently perched at a career-high world ranking of 100, Bucsa began the season with a defeat in the first round of qualifying at the Adelaide International 1. The 25-year-old shook it off pretty quickly to record three wins in qualifying and bag a main-draw berth at the Australian Open.
Bucsa then carved out two three-set wins in her first couple of rounds to make it to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career. She beat former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4 in the second round after saving a match point.
Bucsa will now hope to take the confidence from that massive victory into her meeting with Swiatek.
Iga Swiatek vs Cristina Bucsa head-to-head
Swiatek and Bucsa have never squared off on the tour before. Hence, their head-to-head currently stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
However, the two did square off at a junior event in Umag in 2016. Swiatek came through 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 in that contest.
Iga Swiatek vs Cristina Bucsa odds
(Odds sourced from Oddschecker)
Iga Swiatek vs Cristina Bucsa prediction
After having to work hard in her opener, Iga Swiatek didn't leave anything to chance in the second round. The Pole came fully prepared and played a devastating power game against Camila Osorio, with her forehand firing 13 out of a total of 19 winners.
Swiatek's serve was on point as she landed 80% of her first serves. The World No. 1 was ferocious on her returns, winning 64% of Osorio's first-serve points.
Although she did play a near-perfect game, it wasn't entirely flawless as she dropped her serve thrice during the match. Swiatek struggled with Osorio's sudden change of direction at times and that's something she has to be more prepared for on the pacy Melbourne courts.
Bucsa can play aggressive tennis as evident from the 31 winners she struck against Andreescu and will look to emulate that performance. That said, she is highly inexperienced at this level and could find it difficult to stay toe-to-toe with the Pole.
If Swiatek strikes the ball as fiercely as she did against Osorio and doesn't have any let-up in intensity, this match could be a cakewalk for her.
Pick: Iga Swiatek to win in straight sets.
