'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Iga Swiatek vs (9) Caroline Garcia
Tournament: China Open 2023
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Beijing, China
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $1,500,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Iga Swiatek vs Caroline Garcia preview
World No. 2 Iga Swiatek will take on 2017 winner Caroline Garcia for a place in the semifinals of the 2023 China Open.
Trending
The reigning French Open champion has enjoyed a great season in 2023, with a 60-11 win-loss record and four titles to boot. Although the Pole has struggled to find the form that helped her win eight titles last year, she can find respite in her supreme consistency this season.
Swiatek has reached at least the quarterfinals of a WTA event in 14 of her 16 tournaments in 2023, with her only two losses before the last eight coming at the hardcourt Majors in Melbourne and New York. The 22-year-old has been feeling up to the mark at the current WTA 500 event in Beijing as well, having dropped just 14 games en route to the quarterfinals.
Garcia, meanwhile, has had anything but a consistent season. The World No. 10 has managed to win just 39 of her 62 matches on the WTA tour.
Having said that, the Frenchwoman is in good form in Beijing. After swatting aside Ukrainian qualifier Kateryna Baindl in the first round, she was taken to the distance by the experienced Yulia Putintseva in her next match. Garcia did come out on top of that match in three comprehensive sets, before securing her place in the last eight by beating World No. 28 Anhelina Kalinina in straight sets.
Iga Swiatek vs Caroline Garcia head-to-head
Swiatek leads Garcia by a margin of 2-1 in their head-to-head meetings on the WTA tour. While the two players split their last two meetings at the 2022 WTA Finals and the 2022 BNP Paribas Warsaw Open, it was the Pole who got the better of the Frenchwoman in their first-ever meeting at the 2019 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
Iga Swiatek vs Caroline Garcia odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Iga Swiatek vs Caroline Garcia prediction
Even though Swiatek is arguably the most steady player on the WTA tour, she has suffered with a few elements of her game in 2023. The 22-year-old has not only struggled with potency on her forehand wing, but also put up subpar numbers on her first serve.
In her last two losses in New York and Tokyo, Swiatek only won 56% and 64% of her first-serve points, respectively. The Pole has served particularly well in her last two wins, though, winning an impressive 77.5% of her points on first serve. She will be hard to put away this week in Beijing, provided she does well on serve.
Garcia, on the other hand, is the best returner on the WTA tour. The Frenchwoman possesses an aggressive intent, and will be eager to undermine Swiatek's serve whenever she gets the chance. She also has a big forehand that can end rallies at will.
The 29-year-old, however, has struggled to retain her rhythm across matches this year. She has sent groundstrokes long at the most inopportune moments, which is in stark contrast to her game last year.
Swiatek will still need to be wary of her challenge in Beijing, considering how Garcia is still capable of showing glimpses of her dangerous controlled aggression.
Pick: Iga Swiatek in three sets
