Brisbane International 2024: Naomi Osaka vs Karolina Pliskova preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (WC) Naomi Osaka vs (16) Karolina Pliskova

Date: January 3, 2024

Tournament: Brisbane International 2024

Round: Second round (Round of 32)

Venue: Queensland Tennis Centre, Brisbane, Australia

Category: WTA 500

Surface: Outdoor hard

Prize money: $1,736,763

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Sky Sports

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Naomi Osaka vs Karolina Pliskova preview

Naomi Osaka at the 2024 Brisbane International.

Four-time Major champion Naomi Osaka will play against former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova in the second round of the 2024 Brisbane International.

Making her comeback following maternity leave, Osaka was drawn against Tamara Korpatsch in the first round here. Playing her first match in 15 months, she was on top of things right from the start. The Japanese broke her opponent's serve to kick things off in the first set.

Osaka then claimed the opener by breaking Korpatsch's serve once again. The two traded breaks to start the second set, but remained steady on serve over the next few games.

Osaka then secured another break of serve to go 5-3 up, but failed to serve out the match after that. Korpatsch pushed the set into a tie-break and put up a fight too, but the Japanese saved a couple of set points to claim a 6-3, 7-6 (9) victory.

Pliskova had a strong start to her 2023 season as she reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. She then also made the last eight at the WTA 1000 in Dubai and the WTA 500 in Stuttgart. Those three results were the highlights of her year.

Following her exit from Stuttgart, Pliskova won just an additional four matches until September. After her second round loss at the Guadalajara Open, she called a time on her season due to an injury. As one of the seeded players in Brisbane, she received a first-round bye.

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Naomi Osaka vs Karolina Pliskova head-to-head

Pliskova leads Osaka 3-2 in the head-to-head. The Czech won their previous encounter at the 2020 Brisbane International in three sets.

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Naomi Osaka vs Karolina Pliskova odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Naomi Osaka	-175	+1.5 (-450)	Over 21.5 (-135)
Karolina Pliskova	+135	-1.5 (+280)	Under 21.5 (-105)

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

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Naomi Osaka vs Karolina Pliskova prediction

Karolina Pliskova at the 2023 San Diego Open.

Osaka was obviously a bit rusty after a prolonged break, but her basics remain as sharp as ever. She's still able to hit the ball quite hard and with precision, especially when it lands in her strike zone. Her serve was a bit up and down, as was her movement, but it's likely to improve with time.

Their previous meeting also took place in Brisbane four years ago. Pliskova saved a match point en route to beating Osaka in three sets. The two have played some riveting matches in the past, but given the lack of matches under their belt of late, this encounter could lack the same finesse.

This match tilts in Osaka's favor as she already has gotten a win under her belt in Brisbane. A little match play goes a long way and could prove to be the deciding factor here as well.

Pick: Naomi Osaka to win in three sets.