Iga Swiatek vs Karolina Pliskova: 2023 Canadian Open Montreal - Preview & Prediction
WTA
Top seed Iga Swiatek will face former WTA number one Karolina Pliskova in the second round of the 2023 Canadian Open in Montreal on Wednesday, August 9, 2023.
Iga Swiatek kicks off her North American hard-court swing against a familiar foe. Karolina Pliskova is a former number one and has been to two Grand Slam finals, but never won a major title. Unlike the Pole, Pliskova has a very good record in this tournament, reaching the final back in 2021.
Swiatek has once again compiled one of her best seasons, even though the numbers don't quite match up to her majestic 2022 season, She is still on course to equal or even better her 67 WTA wins last year. The 22-year-old arrives in Montreal hot on the heels of her first career title on home soil in Warsaw a week or so ago.
Pliskova will enter this match on the back of two wins from nine matches. Four of her defeats in that run came in the first round. It would be a monumental shock if she manages to beat the world number one on Wednesday.
Head-to-head:
Iga Swiatek and Karolina Pliskova have played twice at Tour level. Swiatek won both meetings on clay courts, one of those was the infamous double bagel in the Italian Open final in 2021.
Although Pliskova improved considerably in their next match, which was in Stuttgart a few months ago, she lost routinely in the end, 6-4, 1-2, 2-6.
Prediction:
While the chances of Swiatek losing top spot before the US Open are low, it is still mathematically possible it could happen if Sabalenka wins this week. So the Pole will try and maximize all possible permutations.
This has been a good matchup for her in the past as Swiatek's consistent ball striking tends to move the Czech a lot on the baseline. Pliskova is not fond of hitting shots on the run, and Swiatek brings so much intensity to every point.
Hard courts are Pliskova's strongest surface, but losing to Hailey Baptiste in Washington and then dropping a set to Zhu Lin in her opener in Canada is a far cry from what we expect of her on hard courts. This could be another heavy defeat for the Czech.
Prediction: Iga Swiatek in straight sets.
