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Match details
Fixture: Ana Konjuh vs (Q) Harriet Dart.
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open.
Round: First round (Round of 128).
Venue: Indian Wells, California, USA.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Prize money: $8,369,455.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Ana Konjuh vs Harriet Dart preview
World No. 48 Ana Konjuh meets British qualifier Harriet Dart in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday.
Former World No. 20 Konjuh has been working her way up the ladder following multiple elbow surgeries. The 24-year-old Croat showed flashes of her best during her run to the final in Belgrade and the semifinals in San Jose last year.
Konjuh began the new season by reaching back-to-back quarterfinals in Melbourne and Adelaide in the lead-up to the Australian Open. Since then, however, she has gone quiet, managing just a couple of wins in three tournaments.
Konjuh will be keen to draw inspiration from her early-season form as she embarks on her Indian Wells campaign.
She has a relatively easy opener following the late withdrawal of top seed Barbora Krejcikova. The Croat was earlier supposed to face French veteran Alize Cornet, who moved into the top bracket of the draw, vacated by the Roland Garros winner.
Konjuh will now take on World No. 122 Harriet Dart, whose highest ranking remains 120. Dart mostly plies her trade on the ITF circuit and the qualifying stages of tour-level events.
The 25-year-old has a 7-6 win-loss record for the year, coming into Indian Wells. She secured wins over Lesley Pattinama Kherkove and Anastasia Gasanova to qualify for the main draw.
Ana Konjuh vs Harriet Dart head-to-head
Dart leads the head-to-head against Konjuh 1-0. She won their only meeting 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 at Cherbourg-en-Cotentin in 2020.
Ana Konjuh vs Harriet Dart prediction
One of the cleanest hitters of the ball on the women's circuit, Ana Konjuh is blessed with plenty of power, which she uses to dictate the rallies.
However, the Croat is still searching for consistency as she works her way back to the top of the sport. Her serve, in particular, has fluctuated in her last few matches.
She needs to put up better serving numbers if she wants to have a smooth time on the court against Dart. The British qualifier will be coming into this match with winning momentum behind her and will be eager to continue it.
However, she doesn't have the best of serves and Konjuh will look to attack it relentlessly. Dart's lack of experience at the highest level of the sport, too, could play a role if the Croat finds her range.
Prediction: Konjuh to win in straight sets.
