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Match details
Fixture: (8) Garbine Muguruza vs Alison Riske.
Date: 11 March 2022.
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open.
Round: Second round (Round of 64).
Venue: Indian Wells, USA.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Hardcourt.
Prize money: $8,369,455.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Garbine Muguruza vs Alison Rikse preview
Former World No. 1 Garbine Muguruza will take on American Alison Riske in the second round of the 2022 Indian Wells Open on Friday.
Muguruza had one of the best seasons of her career in 2021. She won three titles in a year for the first time, including the WTA Finals, and ended the year ranked No. 3. However, the Spaniard has struggled to replicate the same level of success in 2022.
Muguruza suffered second-round exits at both the Sydney Tennis Classic and the Australian Open. As the defending champion in Dubai, she won her first-round match but lost to Veronika Kudermetova in the second round once again.
Muguruza won two matches in a row for the first time this year at the Qatar Open to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to Jelena Ostapenko.
Meanwhile, Alison Riske started the 2022 season with a first-round loss at the Melbourne Summer Set. She bounced back strongly by reaching the final of her next tournament in Adelaide, where she lost to compatriot Madison Keys.
At the Australian Open, she lost in the second round to Jelena Ostapenko in three sets.
The Middle East swing was disappointing for Riske, as she made consecutive opening-rounds exits in Dubai and Qatar. She snapped her losing streak at Indian Wells, thrashing qualifier Caty McNally 6-0, 6-3 to progress to the second round.
Garbine Muguruza vs Alison Riske head-to-head
The duo have split their four meetings evenly, with the head-to-head currently tied at 2-2. Muguruza won their first couple of encounters, with Riske winning the next two. Their most recent meeting was at the 2019 US Open, which the American won in three sets.
Garbine Muguruza vs Alison Riske prediction
Both players have struggled for consistency this year. Riske has the momentum in their head-to-head and might feel a bit more confident because of that. However, the American hasn't defeated a top-10 player since 2019 and hasn't advanced beyond the second round in Indian Wells ever.
Muguruza is the more aggressive player of the two, but hasn't adopted her usual proactive approach so far this year. The Spaniard has appeared tentative at times and her passiveness has lost her matches. She will need to start dictating play with her powerful groundstrokes, as prolonging the rallies will only work in Riske's favor.
The reason for Riske's lack of success in Indian Wells comes down to her not playing well in slow conditions. Muguruza has no such issues and if she can summon just an ounce of the form that led her to so much success in 2021, she should be able to win this encounter.
Prediction: Garbine Muguruza to win in three sets.
