Italian Open 2023: Paula Badosa vs Karolina Muchova preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Fixture: Paula Badosa vs Karolina Muchova.

Date: May 15, 2023.

Tournament: Italian Open 2023.

Round: Fourth Round (Round of 16).

Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.

Category: WTA 1000.

Surface: Outdoor clay.

Prize money: €3,572,618.

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.

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Paula Badosa vs Karolina Muchova preview

Badosa at the 2023 Italian Open.

World No. 35 Paula Badosa will face off against Karolina Muchova in the fourth round of the 2023 Italian Open on Monday.

Badosa needed three sets to get past Anna-Lena Friedsam in the first round. She then knocked out World No. 7 Ons Jabeur in straight sets to set up a third round encounter against Marta Kostyuk.

Badosa went down an early break in the first set to trail 3-1. She managed to level the score to make it 3-3, but got broken in the following game once again. The Spaniard then bagged the next three games to take the opener.

The second set featured a lot of back and forth between the two as there were five straight breaks of serve. Badosa gained the upper hand to lead 4-2 and claimed the next couple of games as well to win 6-4, 6-2.

Muchova knocked out Kamila Rakhimova and Martina Trevisan to reach the third round, where she was up against Camila Giorgi. The Czech fell behind 5-1 in the first set, but staged a dramatic comeback after that.

Muchova saved a total of seven set points over the next few games and managed to take the set into a tie-break, which she ended up winning. The second set was more straightforward as she broke Giorgi's serve thrice to win the match 7-6 (4), 6-2.

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Paula Badosa vs Karolina Muchova head-to-head

Muchova leads Badosa 1-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2021 Wimbledon in straight sets.

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Paula Badosa va Karolina Muchova odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Paula Badosa	-185	+1.5 (-450)	Over 21.5 (-115)
Karolina Muchova	+140	-1.5 (+280)	Under 21.5 (-120)

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

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Paula Badosa vs Karolina Muchova prediction

Karolina Muchova at the 2023 Italian Open.

Badosa has been one of the most consistent players during the clay swing so far. She struggled a bit in the previous round against Kostyuk, committing a fair bit of errors. But she raised her level when it mattered to come out on top.

Muchova looked down and out in the first set against Giorgi, but turned the table on her opponent in a memorable comeback. She took full control of the match after that.

Both players are comfortable taking charge from the back of the court and possess good serve. Muchova is able to break up the pace of the rallies with her exceptional variety, something which puts Badosa on the backfoot.

However, Badosa's recent results indicate that she won't go down without a fight. Based on the Spaniard's form, she should be able to rise to the occasion if challenged by Muchova and make it to the next round.

Pick: Paula Badosa to win in three sets.