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Match Details
Fixture: (13) Barbora Krejcikova vs Lesia Tsurenko
Tournament: French Open 2023
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €49,600,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, NBC Sports, Peacock TV | Canada - TSN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Ten
Barbora Krejcikova vs Lesia Tsurenko preview
Former champion Barbora Krejcikova will begin her quest for a second French Open title against Ukrainian veteran Lesia Tsurenko.
Krejcikova's biggest highlight of the 2023 season so far has been winning the WTA 1000 event in Dubai. She defeated the top three players in the world - Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula - to storm to the title. Other than that, the Czech also made the last 16 at the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami.
The 2021 French Open champion's clay results were, however, a little underwhelming. She made the Round of 16 at Stuttgart and Madrid but crashed out in the third round in Rome.
Seeded 13th this time in Paris, Krejcikova will hope to brush aside those setbacks and get back to her best.
Former US Open quarterfinalist Lesia Tsurenko has four titles on her resume and a career-high world ranking of 23 that she reached in 2019.
Currently placed at 63rd in the world, the 33-year-old made the final at the WTA 250 event in Hua Hin, Thailand, before losing to Lin Zhu. Her other notable result of the season was a semifinal finish at the ITF $60,000 event in Canberra, Australia.
At the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Tsurenko qualified for the event and upset 28th seed Donna Vekic to make the third round. She managed to win two matches at each of Madrid and Rome on clay and will hope to give a good account of herself as she faces a former champion at Roland Garros.
Barbora Krejcikova vs Lesia Tsurenko head-to-head
Krejcikova and Tsurenko have never met on the tour previously. Hence, their head-to-head currently stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Barbora Krejcikova vs Lesia Tsurenko odds
(Odds sourced from BetMGM)
Barbora Krejcikova vs Lesia Tsurenko prediction
Although Krejcikova hasn't been at her best herself of late, she is several notches above Tsurenko in terms of experience and comfort level on clay. The Czech has fiery groundstrokes that she can mix up with her exceptional volleying skills. Her gliding movement and ability to seamlessly switch from defense to offense make her a dangerous opponent to face on this surface.
Tsurenko clearly will have her hands full. The Ukrainian is a powerful hitter whose game is more suited to faster surfaces. Krejcikova will look to test her movement and force her into errors.
It remains to be seen how long she can withstand the pressure and manage to stay toe-to-toe with the Czech in rallies. An early collapse will make it even easier for Krejcikova to take control of the match.
Pick: Barbora Krejcikova to win in straight sets.
