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Match Details
Fixture: (16) Caroline Garcia vs (PR) Naomi Osaka
Date: January 15, 2024
Tournament: Australian Open 2024
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard (Outdoor)
Prize Money: A$86,500,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN & Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Sports & Sony Liv
Caroline Garcia vs Naomi Osaka preview
16th seed Caroline Garcia will take on former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka in the first round of the 2024 Australian Open on Monday.
Garcia flagged off the new season by representing France in the United Cup. She remained unbeaten in the group stage with wins over Jasmine Paolini and Angelique Kerber. She defeated Malene Helgo in the quarterfinals, after which she lost to Iga Swiatek despite leading by a set.
Garcia then participated in the Adelaide International. She started with a win over Taylah Preston but was shown the door in the next round by Jelena Ostapenko. She did reach the doubles final there with Kristina Mladenovic, but the French duo lost to Taylor Townsend and Beatriz Haddad Maia.
After taking a year off due to the birth of her child, Osaka returned to action this season at the Brisbane International. She made a victorious comeback with a straight sets win over Tamara Korpatsch. She faced her nemesis Karolina Pliskova in the second round but came up short against the Czech once again.
Osaka was then scheduled to play a charity match against Emma Raducanu in the lead-up to the Australian Open. Unfortunately, the highly anticipated meet-up didn't happen as both of them withdrew from it as a precautionary measure.
Caroline Garcia vs Naomi Osaka head-to-head
Osaka leads Garcia 1-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2021 Australian Open in straight sets.
Caroline Garcia vs Naomi Osaka odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Caroline Garcia vs Naomi Osaka prediction
While Garcia has won a few matches this year, all of them have been three-set affairs. Both of her losses have also come against Grand Slam champions Swiatek and Ostapenko, so she'll be a little vary of facing another one so soon.
Osaka's comeback is still in its early stages. She showed some promise in her loss to Pliskova, but there's work to be done. She's a step slower now, and her second serve is a lot more vulnerable. On the bright side, the Japanese still hits her shots quite well and doesn't miss if it lands in her strike zone.
The last time these two faced off was also at the Australian Open three years ago. Osaka brushed past Garcia with ease back then and went on to win the title, her second in Melbourne.
Garcia's a strong returner, and given Osaka's state of second serve right now, she could put the former World No. 1 on the backfoot. Both love to take the lead with their powerful shotmaking as well.
Garcia's also wildly inconsistent at times, which gives her opponent enough of an opening to turn the tide in their favor. If Osaka plays a bit better than she did in Brisbane, she has the potential to come out on top in this duel.
Pick: Naomi Osaka to win in three sets.
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