Spanish tennis superstar, Garbine Muguruza has made it into the fourth round of the 2019 WTA Australian Open. Garbine Muguruza will now face world number 7, Karolina Pliskova from the Czech Republic.
Garbine Muguruza won her previous Timea Bacsinszky in straight sets. During the win, Muguruza returned serve exceptionally strongly as she won 50% of her return points. Garbine Muguruza won 5 return games which allowed to gain a substantial advantage against Timea Bacsinszky. Muguruza has had a tough few months as she has struggled with issues related to injuries. Considering Muguruza has not been at 100%, she will find it quite tough to compete considering her opponent is in incredible form.
On the other side of the coin, Karolina Pliskova won her previous fixture in 3 sets. It was a tough challenge for Pliskova as she had to fight hard to beat Camila Giorgi. Pliskova won 5 return games while winning 77% of his service games. It has been a very strong start to the 2019 season for Pliskova as she won the WTA Brisbane International. The win at Brisbane was Pliskova’s second WTA title in Australia. Considering her recent form and his exceptional record in Australia, Karoline Pliskova will be very tough to beat.
Karolina Pliskova and Garbine Muguruza have played 9 times in the past. Karolina Pliskova has the stronger 2019 head-to-head record of 7-2. The most recent match between these two players was in 2017 at the WTA Championships where Karolina Pliskova won in straight sets.
Taking everything into consideration, I am going to pick Karolina Pliskova to win this match. Pliskova has been in exceptional form as she recently won the Brisbane International. In contrast, Muguruza has lacked court time recently. With contrasting recent form, I am picking Karolina Pliskova to win this match and making the quarterfinals.
