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Match details
Fixture: Camila Giorgi vs Christina McHale
Date: 17 May 2021
Tournament: Emilia-Romagna Open 2021
Round: First round (Round of 32)
Venue: Rome, Italy
Category: WTA 250
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: $235,238
Match timing: Not before 5 pm local time, 3 pm GMT, 11 am EST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Camila Giorgi vs Christina McHale preview
Home favorite Camila Giorgi is set to open her 2021 Emilia-Romagna Open campaign with a first-round encounter against America's Christina McHale on Monday.
Giorgi - who was at the losing end of the year's longest match against Sara Sorribes Tormo in Rome last week - will be looking to move past the disappointment of that early exit. She has another chance to do well at a home event in Parma, but might face plenty of resistance from McHale first up.
That said, McHale has had a poor season in 2021 so far. She has managed to get past the first round in only two of the seven WTA events that she has played.
But the American has shown signs of revival on clay, a surface where she has had a fair share of success. She has notched up wins over the likes of Leylah Fernandez and Sara Errani recently, and will be hopeful of another positive result here in Parma.
Camila Giorgi vs Christina McHale head-to-head
Camila Giorgi and Christina McHale have split their four career meetings, so the current head-to-head stands at a 2-2 deadlock. While it was the American who had taken a 2-0 lead initially, Giorgi has managed to take the last two meetings in hard-fought battles.
Camila Giorgi vs Christina McHale prediction
Camila Giorgi hasn't played a lot of tennis this season, and the lack of match practice was evident in her marathon match against Sorribes Tormo in Rome. The Italian was unable to hold her nerve on the big points and squandered a 4-0 lead in the decider before succumbing down the home stretch.
Giorgi should enter the tournament in Parma better prepared. But she is unlikely to change her approach, which has always been about using her power-packed groundstrokes to take control of the rallies from the get-go.
On the other hand, Christina McHale's biggest strengths are her movement and consistency from the back court. The key for the American will lie in her ability to hang around in the rallies long enough and frustrate Giorgi into making errors.
McHale will also have to ensure that she keeps things close on the scoreboard, because giving away any early leads will only strengthen Giorgi's grip on the match.
Prediction: Camila Giorgi to win in three sets.
