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Match details
Fixture: (12) Garbine Muguruza vs Bernarda Pera
Date: 12 May 2021
Tournament: Internazionali BNL d'italia 2021
Round: Second round (Round of 32)
Venue: Rome, Italy
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: $1,835,490
Match timing: Approx. 12 pm local time, 3.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Garbine Muguruza vs Bernarda Pera preview
12th seed Garbine Muguruza will aim to book a spot in the Round of 16 at the 2021 Italian Open when she takes on World No. 69 Bernarda Pera on Wednesday.
Muguruza has made a blazing start to the 2021 season, putting together a fabulous 21-6 win-loss record in the first quarter of the year. The two-time Grand Slam champion has made the finals in three events, and won the title in Dubai.
A sharp pain in her left leg cut short Muguruza's journey in her first clay tournament of the year, at Charleston. The Spaniard has now returned at the Italian Open, a tournament where she made the semifinals last year.
In her first match of the year on red clay, Muguruza notched up a commanding 6-1, 6-2 win over Patricia Tig. The former World No. 1 was impressive in all aspects of the game on Tuesday, looking hungry and motivated to make another deep run in Rome.
Bernarda Pera, meanwhile, went on a torrid six-match losing streak right after knocking out Angelique Kerber at the Australian Open earlier this year. She finally managed to emerge from the slump at Madrid, where she won three matches in qualifying before going down to Belinda Bencic in three sets.
That performance has helped the World No. 69 regain some of her lost confidence. Pera has cruised into the second round of the Italian Open on the back of three strong wins, having come through the qualifiers.
Garbine Muguruza vs Bernarda Pera head-to-head
Garbine Muguruza and Bernarda Pera have never crossed paths on the tour, so their head-to-head currently stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Garbine Muguruza vs Bernarda Pera prediction
This is a matchup between two aggressive players who like to take control from the baseline. A barrage of power-packed groundstrokes can be expected on Wednesday, from either side of the court.
But Garbine Muguruza is the more experienced and accomplished of the two, which makes her the clear favorite to win this match. And her spectacular form all year gives her an added advantage.
The Spaniard put up a good serving display in her first match at Rome, serving three aces past Patricia Tig and winning 72.4% of her first-serve points. She will look to use her serve and take the attack to Bernarda Pera, whose own serve isn't very consistent.
To have any chance in this match, the American southpaw needs to find a way to make Muguruza move around the court and eke out errors from her racket. But for that to happen, she needs to play with composure and controlled aggression throughout.
Once Muguruza gets settled into the match and starts finding her rhythm, she will likely make life very difficult to Pera.
Prediction: Garbine Muguruza to win in straight sets.
