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Fixture: (8) Barbora Krejcikova vs (9) Garbine Muguruza
Date: 5 September 2021
Tournament: US Open 2021
Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)
Venue: New York, United States
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $40,560,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Garbine Muguruza vs Barbora Krejcikova preview
Garbine Muguruza came through a three-set battle against Victoria Azarenka on Saturday to book her spot in the second week of the 2021 US Open. She will now play a grudge match against Barbora Krejcikova, who cruised past Kamila Rakhimova in her last match.
Muguruza has found herself in an absolutely packed section of the draw, but has done well to lift her game this week. Having come through tight wins over Donna Vekic and Andrea Petkovic in the first two rounds, the Spaniard was looking strong on serve heading into the match with Azarenka.
Pitted against one of the best returners in the sport, the Spaniard was facing her biggest test yet. She passed with flying colors, improving her first-serve numbers in the decider to prevail 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.
Playing in her first US Open singles main draw, Barbora Krejcikova has shown just how much she has improved over the course of the last 12 months or so. The Czech, who had fallen in the qualification rounds at New York in her first five appearances, has now made it to the second week without dropping a single set.
Krejcikova has been absolutely ruthless in her wins, having lost her serve just twice in the three matches played so far. She will be hoping to carry her momentum deeper into the tournament.
Garbine Muguruza vs Barbora Krejcikova head-to-head
Garbine Muguruza and Barbora Krejcikova have split their previous two meetings, so their current head-to-head stands at 1-1 deadlock. Krejcikova had won a tight three-set match against her opponent at the Western & Southern Open just a couple of weeks ago.
Garbine Muguruza vs Barbora Krejcikova prediction
Despite not having the strongest record at the US Open, Garbine Muguruza has shown this week just how dominant she can be on hardcourts. She will now be sensing a big opportunity to finally break past the fourth-round hurdle in New York.
Muguruza's serve and groundstrokes have been working well for her so far. But against Barbora Krejcikova, she will need to be even more aggressive and look to take control of the baseline exchanges early.
Krejcikova is a master at redirecting balls and mixing up her shots, but she has also put in a lot of work to improve her own groundstrokes. Muguruza noted in her last post-match conference that the Czech is playing with a lot of confidence, and that is being reflected in the weight of her shots.
Both women have come up with some very good wins in the tournament already, and their upcoming clash could well go down to the wire. But Muguruza should be considered a slight favorite given her firepower and recent ominous form.
The ninth seed will also have the motivation to avenge her Cincinnati loss, and is likely to come out of the gates flying. Krejcikova might be able to eventually gain her footing and push back, but we expect Muguruza to eke out a win in this one.
Prediction: Garbine Muguruza to win in three sets.
