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Match details
Fixture: (4) Karolina Pliskova vs Camila Giorgi
Date: 15 August 2021
Tournament: National Bank Open 2021
Round: Final
Venue: IGA Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor hard
Prize money: $1,835,490
Match timing: Not before 1.30 pm local time, 5.30 pm GMT, 11 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Karolina Pliskova vs Camila Giorgi preview
Fourth seed Karolina Pliskova will take on long-time rival Camila Giorgi in the final of the 2021 National Bank Open on Sunday. While Pliskova beat top seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals, Giorgi overcame Jessica Pegula 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to get to the summit clash.
After a slow start to the season, Karolina Pliskova advanced to her first quarterfinal of 2021 in Doha before also making the last eight in Stuttgart. She then reached the final in Rome for the third year running, but lost to Iga Swiatek in straight sets.
The Czech went on to make her second Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, where she went down to top seed Ashleigh Barty. Pliskova subsequently had a third-round finish at the Tokyo Olympics, falling at the hands of Camila Giorgi.
This week in Montreal, the World No. 6 is into her 32nd career final for the loss of just one set. She would be hoping to exact revenge on Giorgi and clinch her 17th WTA title, after having lost to the Italian twice this year.
Apart from those wins over Pliskova, Giorgi has had a fairly ordinary year thus far. But she did progress to the quarterfinals in Lyon and the semis in Eastbourne, and on her Olympic debut she lost in the quarterfinals to eventual bronze medalist Elina Svitolina.
The World No. 71 is into the maiden WTA 1000 final of her career this week. She is bidding for just her third title overall, and the first since lifting the trophy at Linz in October 2018.
Karolina Pliskova vs Camila Giorgi head-to-head
Karolina Pliskova and Camila Giorgi have met eight times before, and the Czech currently leads the head-to-head 5-3. However, Giorgi won their most recent meeting in straight sets, which took place at the Tokyo Olympics.
Karolina Pliskova vs Camila Giorgi prediction
Both women are aggressive baseliners who are constantly on the hunt for winners. However, Camila Giorgi's groundstrokes tend to be heavier than Karolina Pliskova's, and she also has better footwork than the Czech.
The serve is arguably the biggest weapon for Pliskova. Her six-foot-one stature allows her to be dominant on that shot and rack up aces at will. Against Aryna Sabalenka, the Czech hit a whopping 10 aces and won close to 78% of her first-serve points.
Giorgi, on her part, double faulted nine times in her semifinal match against Jessica Pegula. She even faced 10 break points and won just 63% of points on her first serve.
The notable ranking advantage and experience of Pliskova makes her the favorite for this match. Giorgi has been prone to mental lapses in the past, and if Pliskova can avoid leaking excessive unforced errors, she should be able to sneak out a victory.
Prediction: Karolina Pliskova to win in three sets.
