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Match details
Fixture: Garbine Muguruza vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Date: 3 February 2021
Tournament: Yarra Valley Classic 2021
Round: Third round (Round of 16)
Venue: Melbourne, Australia
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $565,530
Match timing: Approx. 3 pm local time, 9.30 am IST
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel
Garbine Muguruza vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova preview
The third round of the 2021 Yarra Valley Classic will see Garbine Muguruza take on Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in a rematch of last year's Australian Open quarterfinal.
The two women have started their campaigns with rather convincing match wins, and will look to continue their solid form deep into the tournament. But for Pavlyuchenkova in particular, this match comes as an opportunity to avenge last year's loss.
The Russian has had a couple of highly successful seasons in Australia, with back-to-back quarterfinal showings in Melbourne being the highlights. Her power-packed game is well-suited to the courts Down Under, and Muguruza will be well aware of the threat.
The Spaniard herself likes to take control of matches early, and it will be interesting to see how the two players choose to approach this contest.
Garbine Muguruza vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova head-to-head
Garbine Muguruza leads Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 5-1 in head-to-head matchups. The only time the Russian was able to get the better of Muguruza was at the 2018 Stuttgart Open.
Garbine Muguruza vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova prediction
Both Garbine Muguruza and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova play a similar style of aggressive tennis, and we can expect a close match. But given the somewhat lopsided head-to-head and the higher ranking, the Spaniard would have to be given a slight edge.
That said, Muguruza showed signs of slowing down towards the back end of last season, suffering some strange losses. She will have to find her stride quickly against Pavlyuchenkova if she wishes to progress further.
Prediction: Garbine Muguruza to win in two tight sets.
