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Match details
Fixture: (4) Petra Kvitova vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Date: 3 March 2021
Tournament: Qatar Total Open 2021
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Doha, Qatar
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $565,530
Match timing: Approx. 4.30 pm local time, 7 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel
Petra Kvitova vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova preview
Petra Kvitova will look to overcome a slow start to the new season as she gets her 2021 Qatar Open campaign underway on Wednesday.
A former winner in Doha, Kvitova was given a bye in the first round but faces a stiff test in the second. She takes on former World No. 13 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who scored a solid win over Kristyna Pliskova in her opening match.
Pavlyuchenkova hasn't had the best of starts to the season either. She lost at the first hurdle of the season opener in Abu Dhabi, and also made early exits at the tournaments Down Under - including the Australian Open.
But most of Pavlyuchenkova's losses this year have come against quality opponents, including Naomi Osaka, Garbine Muguruza and Ons Jabeur. And even in those contests, the Russian held her own in the rallies; she just wasn't able to consistently find her range.
Pavlyuchenkova is still a fine striker of the ball though, and is more than capable of turning over a new leaf at any point in time.
Petra Kvitova vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova head-to-head
This will be be the 13th career meeting between Petra Kvitova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and it's the Czech who leads the head-to-head with a comfortable 8-4 margin.
Kvitova has also taken four out of the duo's last five meetings, but they have only faced each once in the last two years.
Petra Kvitova vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova prediction
Despite the huge gap in the rankings, this is a fairly well-balanced matchup. The two have played each on quite a few occasions, and are extremely familiar with each other's game.
Petra Kvitova has an edge in recent head-to-head meetings, but the Czech has been going through a bit of a slump at the start of the new year.
The two-time Major winner struggled to win points behind her serve and posted an uncharacteristically high number of double faults during her matches in Australia. But having taken some time off since, she is likely to have worked on the issues.
Kvitova has had a fair amount of success in Qatar, and can prove to be quite dangerous if allowed to take control of the tallies. Pavlyuchenkova simply cannot let her opponent dictate the pace; the Russian will need to use her big groundstrokes and push Kvitova onto the backfoot.
A good start will be crucial for Kvitova, as she has struggled to come back from difficult situations in a few of her recent matches. But if she does find her range on the serve and forehand, the Czech could prove to be too powerful for Pavlyuchenkova in the end.
Prediction: Petra Kvitova to win in two tight sets.
