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Match details
Fixture: (11) Petra Kvitova vs Madison Keys
Date: 16 August 2021
Tournament: Western & Southern Open 2021
Round: First round (Round of 64)
Venue: Cincinnati, United States
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $1,835,490
Match timing: Approx. 1 pm local time, 5 pm GMT, 10.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Petra Kvitova vs Madison Keys preview
Petra Kvitova will open her 2021 Western & Southern Open campaign with a tough first-round encounter against former champion Madison Keys on Monday.
Kvitova suffered an ankle injury at Roland Garros earlier this year, which kept her sidelined for about a month. And the Czech has struggled to find her best tennis consistently since her return to competition in June.
But Kvitova has reached the semifinals in Cincinnati on two prior occasions, and will be hopeful of producing a positive result ahead of the US Open.
Keys also enters the tournament on the back of a poor start to the US Open series. The American has suffered first-round exits in both her main-draw appearances so far, in San Jose and Toronto.
Keys does enjoy playing on hardcourts though, and has a power-packed game that is tailor-made for the surface. A return to Cincinnati, where she won her last career title in 2019, might just be the catalyst she needs to rediscover her form.
Petra Kvitova vs Madison Keys head-to-head
Madison Keys leads Petra Kvitova in their current head-to-head with a slender 4-3 margin. Most of the duo's previous meetings have been tightly contested affairs.
Petra Kvitova vs Madison Keys prediction
Both Petra Kvitova and Madison Keys possess similarly power-packed games and enjoy dictating the proceedings from the back of the court. Thus, we could be in for a baseline slugfest on Mondday.
Kvitova showed flashes of her best tennis in the two matches that she played in Montreal last week. But the 31-year-old leaked a few too many unforced errors against the red-hot Camila Giorgi in the Round of 16, and went out in straight sets.
Kvitova still had a few positives to take away from her performance - especially on return - and she would be looking to build on that.
The Czech is unlikely to change her approach in Cincinnati, and will continue to go for her shots. And while Keys is more than capable of matching Kvitova's power, she has been a little off-kilter in recent weeks.
We can expect some powerful shotmaking from this first-round encounter. The result, however, would be decided by either player's ability to keep their unforced errors in check.
Given the duo's current form, Kvitova looks slightly better equipped to do that.
Prediction: Petra Kvitova to win in two tight sets.
