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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Iga Swiatek vs (27) Sorana Cirstea
Date: Saturday, April 27
Time: Match to start at 11:00 a.m. local time, 5:00 a.m. ET, 9:00 a.m. GMT, and 2:30 p.m. IST
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open
Round: Third Round (Round of 32)
Venue: La Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Clay (Outdoor)
Prize Money: $7,877,020
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Iga Swiatek vs Sorana Cirstea preview
Top seed Iga Swiatek is set to face 27th seed Sorana Cirstea in the third round of the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open on Saturday, April 27.
Swiatek is currently 26-4 for the season, with two titles to her name already. She quickly brushed off the disappointment of losing in the third round of the Australian Open by capturing the title in Qatar a couple of weeks later, beating Elena Rybakina in the final.
Swiatek picked up the second Indian Wells title of her career, brushing aside Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-0 in the summit clash. However, she suffered a disappointing defeat in the fourth round of the Miami Open, going down to Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets. She entered the Stuttgart Open as the defending champion but was beaten by an inspired Rybakina in the last four.
The Pole kicked off her campaign in Madrid with a brilliant 6-1, 6-4 win against Xiyu Wang in the second round after receiving a bye in the first due to her ranking.
Cirstea, meanwhile, is still going strong on tour despite being 34 years old. She lost in the first round of the Australian Open despite winning the first set. She reached the quarters in Abu Dhabi but was dismissed by Daria Kasatkina.
At the Dubai Tennis Championships, she was on a roll, reaching the last four but ultimately falling to eventual champion Jasmine Paolini. She reached the third round in Miami but lost to the eventual champion, Danielle Collins, this time.
Cirstea also kicked off her campaign in Madrid with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-4 win over Alex Eala in the second round.
Iga Swiatek vs Sorana Cirstea head-to-head
Iga Swiatek and Sorana Cirstea have faced off three times on the tour, with Swiatek winning all of their past encounters. They most recently played in Doha earlier this year, with Swiatek blowing Cirstea off the court en route to a 6-1, 6-1 dismantling.
Iga Swiatek vs Sorana Cirstea odds
(Odds sourced from BetMGM)
Iga Swiatek vs Sorana Cirstea prediction
Cirstea barely made it through her opening encounter in Madrid, winning a paltry 52% points on her first serve and 49% on her second serve. Her game was also error-stricken from the back and lacked consistency.
Swiatek, on the other hand, brushed aside the disappointment of not being able to defend her title in Stuttgart with a scintillating win in her Madrid opener. She dropped just five games en route to her win. She was beyond impressive on serve and equally potent on the return, breaking her opponent five times in the seven opportunities presented.
Being the better clay court player, Swiatek is expected to coast through this encounter.
Pick: Iga Swiatek in straight sets
