Karolina Pliskova vs Marie Bouzkova Prediction: Czechia battle here!

The US Open has given some curveballs when it comes to the WTA scene, but can Emma Raducanu’s exit in the first round as the title defender be considered one of them? She did enter with a lack of form and has fallen from the top in one year, but hey, she is still young! But then there is an experienced campaigner still lurking around, which is Karolina Pliskova who will take on Marie Bouzkova in the second round.

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Karolina has been one of the best WTA players in the world for a long time now. But she was made to work hard by Magda Linette in the opening game. She took the first set 6-2 but Linette stormed back with a 4-6 reply. Then the third set saw a seesaw motion as it went to the tiebreaker, which was also unpredictable to the boot as Pliskova won it 10-8. Karolina didn’t have her best game for sure, just having a 53% first serve but a more than decent 77% win on first serve and a not-so-decent 49% win on second serve.

Karolina’s campaigns have ended prematurely as of late and she has surely lost a bit of the steam that made her the champion player she was in 2017. She did make the Final of the US Open in 2-16 but since then, she hasn’t made it past the Quarter-Final, which still signify that she has a strong run here. However, her deep runs have been staved off due to her inability to win against defensive players and usaully, she has to face them late in the tournament.

Marie has drawn her second Czechia player in a row and interestingly, she herself hails from that nation. In her previous game, she was taken to task by Linda Noskova. After taking the first set comfortably by 6-2, she was engaged in a tiebreaker which Noskova won 7-3. However, Bouzkova showed her A-game in the last set and won it 6-2 to set-up her bout against Pliskova. Marie collected 12 Aces and had an impressive first seve% of 74.

In this year, Bouzkova has had some impressive moments. And one of the key moments was when she made it to the Quarter-Finals of Wimbledon, where she beat smart players like Caroline Garcia, Alison Riske, and Danielle Collins. She has had enjoyed some success but the overall picture is also impressive as she has peaked in her ranking at around 41, which is an encouraging sign.

Bouzkova and Pliskova have met twice and the last they met was during Madrid Open this year, where Marie won to tie the head-to-head. That game was played on clay, the first battle on Hard surface was won by Pliskova.

Karolina has a lot of experience but at this point of her career, Marie is a seasoned WTA campaigner too. Marie has struggled against players such as Pliskova who are top-ranked but lately, she has shown she is becoming well-versed at dealing with them. Karolina is certainly not in her peak so this game can be a tricky one for her. But I’d still back Pliskova to pull through.