Rome 2020: Yulia Putintseva vs Petra Martic preview, head-to-head & prediction | Italian Open

Match details

Fixture: Yulia Putintseva vs Petra Martic

Date: 17 September 2020

Tournament: Italian Open 2020

Round: Second round (Round of 32)

Venue: Rome, Italy

Category: WTA Premier 5

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: €1,771,082

Match timing: 12:45 pm CEST, 4:15 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel / ESPN

Yulia Putintseva vs Petra Martic preview

Croatia's Petra Martic will face Kazakh star Yulia Putintseva on Thursday, in the second round of the 2020 Italian Open.

This will be Martic's second match on the bounce where she faces Putintseva. The pair had met in the fourth round of the US Open last week, where the Kazakh player reigned supreme over three sets.

Martic got an opening round bye in Rome by virtue of being a top 8 seed, and will play her first match since exiting New York in the Round of 32 at the Foro Italico.

Petra Martic's last match was also against Yulia Putintseva

Yulia Putintseva had a career-best run at the US Open, where she reached the quarterfinals. In her Rome opener the 25-year-old had a comfortable win over Rebecca Peterson, where she dropped just six games throughout the match.

Putintseva has never reached the third round in the Italian capital despite having had some good results on clay. But in Martic, she faces an opponent who's playing in the main draw of Rome for only the second time in her career, and who has only one match win to her name at the venue.

Yulia Putintseva vs Petra Martic head-to-head

Yulia Putintseva had a strong fortnight at the US Open

The head-to-head between Yulia Putintseva and Petra Martic currently stands at 1-0 in favor of Putintseva.

Last week's meeting at the US Open was the first ever between the pair. The Russian-born Kazakh star came out on top in a tightly contested deciding set, despite the Croat winning a point more in the match.

Yulia Putintseva vs Petra Martic prediction

In their fourth round match at the US Open last week, Yulia Putintseva countered Petra Martic's all-court game with her deep, topspin-heavy groundstrokes. The 25-year-old also troubled Martic on occasion by employing the drop shot when in an advantageous position in a rally.

Putintseva is a terrific player on her day, capable of matching up to anyone from from the baseline. She can also change the pace of a rally at will with her incredibly well-disguised slices and drop shots.

Martic's strength, on the other hand, lies in her variety and court smarts. The 29-year-old possesses an almost complete repertoire of shots but lacks that one imposing weapon to consistently trouble the top players.

The Croat's problem has always been that she's a bit of a jack of all trades and master of none.

Based on their recent meetings and claycourt pedigree, Yulia Putintseva will go in as the favorite. But if the Kazakh goes into one of her infamous meltdowns, the calm Petra Martic will be more than happy to capitalize.

Prediction: Yulia Putintseva to win in three sets.