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Match details
Fixture: (1) Ashleigh Barty vs Bernarda Pera
Date: 01 June 2021
Tournament: Roland Garros 2021
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Red Clay
Prize money: €17,171,108
Match timing: Approx. 2 pm local time, 12 pm GMT, 8 am EST, 5.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | UK - ITV | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Ashleigh Barty vs Bernarda Pera preview
Top seed Ashleigh Barty will begin her quest for a second French Open title against World No. 70 Bernarda Pera on Tuesday.
Barty comes into the claycourt Major as one of the biggest contenders for the trophy. The Australian has been in scintillating form ever since she returned to the tour from a near one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Titles at the Yarra Valley Classic and Miami were followed by a brilliant few weeks on clay, which saw her triumph in Stuttgart and reach the final in Madrid. An arm injury, however, cut short her journey in Rome, where she made the quarterfinals.
After a couple of weeks of rest, the 2019 champion should be raring to go in Paris.
Barty's first-round opponent, Bernarda Pera, has struggled this season. The American has a disappointing 9-11 win-loss record this year, largely due to her six-match losing streak since knocking out former champion Angelique Kerber in the first round of the Australian Open in February.
However, the 26-year-old managed to find a semblance of form on the claycourts of Madrid and Rome, reaching the second round after coming through qualifying. She will be hoping to draw confidence from those performances when she steps onto the court on Tues for one of the biggest matches of her career.
Ashleigh Barty vs Bernarda Pera head-to-head
Ashleigh Barty and Bernarda Pera have never crossed paths on the tour before, so their head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Ashleigh Barty vs Bernarda Pera prediction
By virtue of her form and ranking, Barty is the heavy favorite to come through this contest. This match will provide the Australian with an opportunity to test her fitness and prepare for the tougher challenges that lie ahead.
Barty has enough variety and finesse to neutralize the power of the hard-hitting Pera. Keeping the ball within the court is often a challenge for the inconsistent American and a mounting unforced error count could prove to be her downfall against a solid Barty.
Pera's serve isn't the most reliable either; she coughed up six double faults and landed just 54.4% of first serves in her last match against Sara Sorribes Tormo at Parma.
Meanwhile, Barty's serve has been spectacular ever since she returned to the tour earlier this year. The 25-year-old is currently the ace leader on the women's circuit with 202 aces for the year. The World No. 1 is unlikely to give Pera too many opportunities to make inroads and should be able to cruise to victory.
Prediction: Ashleigh Barty to win in straight sets.
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