Sydney Tennis Classic 2022: Barbora Krejcikova vs Jacqueline Cristian preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (3) Barbora Krejcikova vs Jacqueline Cristian

Date: 12 January 2022

Tournament: Sydney Tennis Classic 2022

Round: Second round (Round of 16)

Venue: Sydney, Australia

Category: WTA 500

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt

Match timing: Not before 3 pm local time, 4 am GMT, 9.30 am IST

Prize money: $703,580

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video

Barbora Krejcikova vs Jacqueline Cristian preview

Third seed Barbora Krejcikova will aim for a spot in the quarterfinals of the Sydney Tennis Classic on Wednesday when she squares off against World No. 73 Jaqueline Cristian.

Krejcikova has come to Sydney on the back of a phenomenal season in both singles and doubles last year. The Czech won three singles titles, the biggest highlight of which was her maiden Grand Slam win at Roland Garros.

In doubles, she partnered compatriot Katerina Siniakova to four titles, which included big ones at the Olympics, French Open and the WTA Finals.

The strong showing in both disciplines has catapulted the 26-year-old to a ranking of No. 4 in singles and No. 2 in doubles.

Krejcikova will be eager to pick up from where she left off and start the 2022 season on a winning note.

Jaqueline Cristian in action at WTA Upper Austria Ladies Linz

World No. 73 Jaqueline Cristian, meanwhile, ended the 2021 season on a high with a fantastic run to the final of Linz after having started in the qualifiers. In the summit clash, the 23-year-old went down fighting in three sets to eighth seed Alison Riske.

Although the Romanian's 2022 season started with a tough three-set loss to Kaia Kanepi in Melbourne last week, she will be keen to bounce back in Sydney.

She made her intentions clear in her opening match of the tournament, holding her nerve in a gritty 7-6(5), 7-5 win over local hope Priscilla Hon.

Barbora Krejcikova vs Jacqueline Cristian head-to-head

Barbora Krejcikova and Jacqueline Cristian have never squared off on the tour before, so the head-to-head is currently tied at 0-0.

Barbora Krejcikova vs Jacqueline Cristian prediction

Jaqueline Cristian is a highly aggressive player who has easy power off both the wings. However, Krejcikova is adept at tackling such players.

Not only is the World No. 4 strong from the baseline but thanks to her doubles prowess she is skilled at the net too. Krejcikova will look to use her angles and finesse to neutralize Cristian's power and force her into errors.

It is thus crucial for the Romanian to hold her serve and remain toe-to-toe with the third seed. If Cristian concedes an early advantage to the French Open champion, she might not get a chance to claw her way back.

Prediction: Krejcikova to win in two tight sets.

About the author

Sudeshna is a veteran Indian Sports and International Tennis journalist as well as editor at Sportskeeda. She has an overall experience of over 10 years with top publications like The Bridge, Fox Sports Asia, and gained a keen interest in Indian sports since the 2002 Commonwealth and Asian Games when she was in school.

Sudeshna holds a Master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She attends tournaments regularly and being a highly experienced journalist, she ensures she only contacts the correct people from her network for the most authentic information to be put in her articles.

Sudeshna’s favorite Indian athlete is PV Sindhu owing to her big-tournament performances. She also admires Tennis legend Rafael Nadal for his resilience and has witnessed the Spaniard in action at the French Open, due to which, Roland Garros is her all-time favorite Grand Slam tournament.

Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics made a lasting impact on Sudeshna. She has also interviewed him along with Badminton star Chirag Shetty and several other sports personalities. She has done on-ground reporting on multiple ITF tournaments along with the Premier Badminton League, Asian Boxing Championships and the Davis Cup.

When not using her skills and years of experience in crafting compelling content, Sudeshna likes to read, watch movies and travel.

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Edited by Nihal Taraporvala