Roland Garros 2021: Sloane Stephens vs Karolina Muchova preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: Sloane Stephens vs (18) Karolina Muchova

Date: 5 June 2021

Tournament: Roland Garros 2021

Round: Third round (Round of 32)

Venue: Paris, France

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Red Clay

Prize money: €17,171,108

Match timing: 11 am local time, 9 am GMT, 5 am EST, 2.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | UK - ITV | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP

Sloane Stephens vs Karolina Muchova preview

18th seed Karolina Muchova will meet 2018 Roland Garros runner-up Sloane Stephens on Saturday with a spot in the fourth round of the claycourt Major up for grabs.

Stephens won the US Open in 2017 and reached the French Open final the following year, but has since failed to kick on. After the 2019 Roland Garros, the American did not make the quarterfinals of a single event until the Volvo Car Open in April this year.

However, she seems to have found a new lease of life during the claycourt season and looked in top form in Parma, where she made the semifinals.

The resurgent has Stephens managed to back that up with a couple of wins at the French Open this week. She had to battle her way past a spirited Carla Suarez Navarro in three sets before knocking out ninth seed Karolina Pliskova 7-5, 6-1 for her first top-10 win in over two years.

Stephens' next opponent, Karolina Muchova, is in the midst of a career-best season.

Muchova has made at least the quarterfinals in three out of the five tournaments she has played this year. While her run to the Australian Open semifinals in February stands out, the Czech has also made her mark on clay.

She put up a gritty display to knock out second seed Naomi Osaka and 16th seed Maria Sakkari en route to the Madrid Open quarterfinals.

This week, the 24-year-old passed a stern test in her Roland Garros opener, where she needed three sets to beat Andrea Petkovic. The Czech vastly improved in her next round as she registered a 6-3, 6-4 win over Varvara Lepchenko.

Sloane Stephens vs Karolina Muchova head-to-head

Sloane Stephens and Karolina Muchova have never met on the tour before, so their head-to-head currently stands at a 0-0 deadlock.

Sloane Stephens vs Karolina Muchova prediction

Sloane Stephens has shown flashes of her former self this week in Paris. The former World No. 3 has moved gracefully on the clay and hit winners at will.

After battling past Suarez Navarro in the first round, the American played a clean match against Pliskova, where she made just 17 unforced errors and hit 22 winners.

However, Pliskova made things quite easy for the American as she committed 38 unforced errors in total. Sloane Stephens might not get the same assistance from her next opponent.

Muchova was extremely consistent in her second-round match against Lepchenko, striking 26 winners and coughing up just 19 unforced errors. The Czech was also solid on serve, winning 78% of her first-serve points.

Muchova is an aggressive all-court player who can hit winners off both wings. She also doesn't hesitate to approach the net whenever she gets the chance. The Czech will also look to use every bit of her finesse to trouble Stephens.

Muchova is brimming with confidence after a stellar run throughout the season and even if Stephens gets off to a quick start, the Czech should be able to fight back and secure the win.

Prediction: Karolina Muchova to win in three sets.

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