Sydney Tennis Classic 2022: Paula Badosa vs Ajla Tomljanovic preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (5) Paula Badosa vs Ajla Tomljanovic

Date: 12 January 2021

Tournament: Sydney Tennis Classic 2022

Round: Round of 16 (second round)

Venue: Sydney, Australia

Category: WTA 500

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $703,580

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

Fifth seed Paula Badosa is set to take on home favorite Ajla Tomljanovic in the second round of the 2022 Sydney Tennis Classic on Wednesday.

Badosa won her first match of the season when she defeated former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko 7-6(1), 6-1 in their opening-round clash. After a close first set, the Spaniard took control of the match and ran away with the second set.

Last week Badosa lost in the first round of the Adelaide International to Victoria Azarenka. But the 24-year old is back on track with a win in Sydney and will look to make a deep run here to boost her confidence prior to the Australian Open.

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Ajla Tomljanovic defeated qualifier Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the second round at the 2022 Sydney Tennis Classic. At the Adelaide International last week, she held three match points during her second-round match against Sofia Kenin. But she was unable to close out the match and lost 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-3.

Tomljanovic bounced back with her first-round win in Sydney and will be keen to keep the momentum going.

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Paula Badosa vs Ajla Tomljanovic head-to-head

This is going to be the first meeting between the two players, so their head-to-head stands at 0-0.

Paula Badosa vs Ajla Tomljanovic prediction

After early losses in their first tournament of the season, Paula Badosa and Ajla Tomljanovic will be eager to perform well this week. The Spaniard has a slight edge over her opponent, as she has taken her game to the next level over the past year.

She possesses an excellent serve that gives her control of the point early on and allows her to dictate play with her powerful groundstrokes from the first shot. Badosa's good court coverage also allows her to play defensively. Tomljanovic is a big hitter herself, but she'll need to mix things up if she wants to have a shot against the World No. 9.

The Australian is also known to buckle under pressure frequently. Last week's meltdown against Kenin wasn't the first time she lost a match from a winning position. This effectively gives her opponents a huge advantage. Badosa is known for her fighting spirit and mental toughness, winning plenty of matches from difficult situations.

Prediction: Paula Badosa to win in straight sets.

Also check out: Updated WTA WoMen's Tennis Rankings

About the author

Rohit is a journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in covering tennis. Having been with the company for three years, he has proven himself as a formidable force in the field. With a Master's degree in law, Rohit brings his analytical and research skills to the forefront as a journalist. He stays on top of the game by using social media platforms and never misses a match for on-court insights. He values giving credit where it's due, keeping his reporting fair and accurate.

At the outset of his career, Rohit found his niche in writing previews and SEO pieces and it's this expertise that continues to define his role at Sportskeeda. He is particularly proud of one article that garnered an impressive 750k views and surpassed his "wildest dreams." Rohit is not particularly fond of (GOAT) debates and it is one of the reasons why he left the legal world behind. He prefers to view players in "tiers," where they're all esteemed to an extent. However, if pressed to name favorites, he would choose Serena and Venus Williams. The Williams sisters' journey from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of tennis has been his greatest source of inspiration.

When he isn't busy making spot-on predictions about match outcomes, Rohit likes reading, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and comics. As an X-Men fanatic, he's also passionate about board games and enjoys watching movies in his spare time. And don't be surprised if you catch him silently wishing to the tennis gods for the removal of ad scoring from doubles.

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Edited by Sarbajaya Bhattacharya