Damien Kayat previews the WTA Tour Championships selected Group Chichen Itza matches between Anett Kontaveit and Karolina Pliskova as well as Barbora Krejcikova and Garbine Muguruza.
2021 WTA Tour
Tour Championships
WTA Finals
Guadalajara, Mexico (Indoor Hardcourts)
Group Teotihuacan- 2nd Group match- 12th-13th November
Friday 12th November
Anett Kontaveit (13/20) vs Karolina Pliskova (12/10)
The 25-year-old Estonian is riding the crest of a phenomenal wave of hardcourt tennis. She has seriously been in demonic form in the second half of the season. Leading into the grass-court section of the season, Kontaveit had endured a fairly indifferent campaign. Outside of a Grampians Trophy final, the Estonian had little to show for her campaign. This led to an amicable split from coach Nigel Sears. But since reaching the Eastbourne final she has appeared in five finals- winning four of them. She actually had to perform heroics in order to oust Ons Jabuer from the final WTA Finals spot, winning back-to-back titles at the Kremlin Cup and Transylvania Open. She entered this WTA Finals with a post US Open record of 19-2. And she was spectacular against Krejcikova, dominating the Czech star from the back of the court. Kontaveit seems to have the ideal game for these slow surfaces. She has power on both sides and can penetrate the court. But she also has the ability to mix things up with a wonderful tactical backhand slice. She is now 46-15 for the season and could put herself into an impregnable position after this match.
Karolina Pliskova barely came through the battle of the only former WTA Finals participants this week, beating Garbine Muguruza in a titanic three-set affair. Pliskova needed four match points to overcome Muguruza in a truly bizarre third-set tiebreak (eleven of the fourteen points were won by the receiver). In many ways it’s consistent with what has been an extremely strange campaign for the 29-year-old Czech. Still yet to win a title this year, it’s been a season of extreme ups and downs for the Czech. She reached her 2nd Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, only to go down in heart-breaking fashion to Ashleigh Barty. She then enjoyed a highly productive North-American hardcourt season. She had brilliant performances in consecutive WTA 1000 events, reaching the final in Canada before a semi-final run in Cincinnati. She then reached the quarterfinals of the US Open. But going back a little bit, she was absolutely humiliated by Iga Swiatek in the Rome final, going down by the dreaded double-doughnut. It’s hard to tell which Pliskova will rock up. But she’s in a great position to book her 4th semi-final spot at the WTA Finals.
The Verdict: Kontaveit to win in three at 3/1- Pliskova has absolutely dominated this rivalry, leading the Estonian 3-0 in their head-to-head record. But they haven’t played since 2019. And they certainly haven’t played in these conditions. The altitude at Guadalajara should suit Kontaveit in this clash. Pliskova is coming for a ragged three-set victory. Kontaveit barely broke a sweat in dispatching of Krejcikova.
Saturday 13th November
Barbora Krejcikova (78/100) vs Garbine Muguruza (1/1)
Czech Barbora Krejcikova was completely outclassed by Anett Kontaveit in her opening match (she failed to register a single break-point on the Estonian’s serve). This surface should suit the 2021 French Open champion down to the bone. Her powerful groundstrokes and natural variety should suit these slower conditions. But I just think she is starting to feel the effects of a magnificent campaign. Lest we forget, Krejcikova’s meteoric rise to singles stardom hasn’t deterred her from continuing her doubles tennis. She won the French Open doubles title and Olympic doubles gold. Her 45-17 win-loss record for the year doesn’t really reflect the sheer amount of tennis she has played. I think you also have to take into consideration the little niggle she picked up at the Billie Jean King Cup. Can she come back from the Kontaveit defeat after such a quick turnaround? Perhaps she just needed one match to acclimatize and settle her nerves.
Former World Number One Garbine Muguruza will also be looking to bounce back after an opening-round loss. The Spaniard lost in an epic three-set duel against arch-nemesis Karolina Pliskova. Unlike Krejcikova, the Spaniard was extremely competitive in her match. Muguruza loves playing in Mexico (she won the Monterrey Open in back-to-back years in 2018 and 2019). Muguruza hasn’t been in the greatest form leading into this event. She has been the polar opposite of Anett Kontaveit: her greatest success came in the early stages of the year. She reached three finals between February and March, capturing the WTA 1000 event in Dubai. That was the 3rd WTA 1000 victory of her career. The rest of her season has been pretty mediocre outside of a tournament victory in Chicago. But Muguruza has the capacity to light up on the big stage (she is a two-time Grand Slam champion after all).
Verdict: Muguruza to win in straight sets at 17/10- I think that Muguruza will draw some inspiration from that tight opening defeat. She loves playing in these conditions and I think she may grow into the tournament. Krecikova looks somewhat dejected and can be forgiven for feeling depleted after an arduous campaign.
