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Match details
Fixture: Petra Kvitova vs Camila Giorgi
Tournament: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2022
Date: 14 February 2022
Round: First round (Round of 32)
Venue: Dubai, UAE
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $703,580
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Petra Kvitova vs Camila Giorgi preview
The first round of the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships will see two big-hitting players - Petra Kvitova and Camila Giorgi - face off in an exciting encounter on Monday.
Kvitova, a former finalist at this tournament, comes into the Middle Eastern swing with a dismal 2-4 win-loss record for the season. She made a second-round exit in her last outing, at St. Petersburg, and will be looking to turn over a new leaf in Dubai.
Giorgi, much like her opponent, made an early exit in St. Petersburg. The Italian suffered a tight three-set defeat at the hands of Ekaterina Alexanderova in the first round itself.
In the form of Kvitova - who possesses a power-packed game not very different from her own - Giorgi faces another difficult opening-round opponent.
Petra Kvitova vs Camila Giorgi head-to-head
Camila Giorgi leads Petra Kvitova in the current head-to-head with a slender 2-1 margin. The Italian got the better of Kvitova in relatively straightforward fashion at last year's Montreal event, winning 6-4, 6-4.
Petra Kvitova vs Camila Giorgi prediction
Petra Kvitova's worrisome form would, at first glance, signal an easy outing for Camila Giorgi. The latter is within touching distance of a career high ranking of No. 26, and would fancy her chances of going deep in Dubai.
But Kvitova does possess the weapons needed to turn a slow season around. Last year she came into the Middle Eastern swing with a similarly horrid start to the season, but strung together a fabulous week in Doha to walk away with a 28th career title.
The southpaw also showed flashes of her best tennis in her first-round win over Jule Neimeier in St. Petersburg. That said, she will need to turn in a much-improved performance to put up a fight against Giorgi.
Kvitova will have to pay particular attention to her serve against such an aggressive opponent, and maintain her focus throughout the encounter. Both women have a high-risk game, so playing the big points well would be especially important.
At the end of the day though, the Czech possesses a wealth of experience that few can match. If she can keep a check on her unforced errors, she should be able to eventually outwit Giorgi.
Prediction: Petra Kvitova to win in two tight sets.
