World number 23, Karolina Pliskova will be up against World number 38, Lin Zhu in the first round of the Canadian Open on Monday, August 7. Get the predictions and odds of this Pliskova vs Zhu match along with its preview, head-to-head, and prediction here.
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Karolina Pliskova vs Lin Zhu Head to Head
The two players have played just once before on grass in 2019 at Wimbledon, with Pliskova taking the win in a comfortable 2 sets.
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Pliskova Stumbles In Washington
Former world number one Karolina Pliskova has her best achievements in hardcourt competitions, having made the 2016 US Open final and eight major quarterfinals on the surface since. She surprised the world in 2021 by making the Wimbledon finals at a tournament she had never gone past the 4th round in.
Though hardcourt has always been her strong suit, Pliskova lost to World Number 204 Hailey Baptiste in 3 sets last week in Washington. In her match against the world number 204 Baptiste, Pliskova squandered a golden chance to make it to the next round by going down 1-6, 6-0, 3-6.
The Czech’s 19-14 record in 2023 has looked rather bleak but doesn’t show the full story of a strong 16-8 record on hardcourt.
Having made the Australian Open quarterfinals at the beginning of the year, Pliskova will be coming into the Canadian Open looking for an opportunity to regain form before the US Open at the end of the month.
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Lin Zhu At An All-Time High In 2023
Zhu has seen some great results in 2023, achieving a career-high ranking of 33 in March of this year.
Her 18-14 record this year has been her career best and like her opponent, she saw her best hardcourt major result in the Australian Open this year, making the fourth round beating world number 6, Maria Sakkari, and scoring a set against veteran Victoria Azarenka before losing in a tight 3-set battle.
She will be playing in the Canadian Open for the first time in her career and will go in with confidence playing against big players, having won her first career title on the surface this year in Thailand.
Though she saw success at the beginning of the year, Zhu has not yet returned to her same levels this year, losing to Yanina Wickmayer in 3 sets in Prague last week.
For a chance to beat her big-hitting opponent, Zhu must utilize her precise shot-making ability to find angles and have a stellar return game to have a chance of victory.
Pliskova v Zhu Prediction and Tip
Although Pliskova has struggled to return to her top levels of playing on the surface, she has the upper hand in this match with her big serving and hitting ability against a rather passive-hitting opponent. She has beaten notable players such as Maria Sakkari, Veronika Kudermetova, and Leylah Fernandez on the surface this year and should be able to overpower Lin Zhu as long as she minimizes errors. This should be a easy win for the Czech in straight sets.
Tips:
- Low Risk Tip: Pliskova to win: 8/11
The 2023 WTA Canadian Open in Montreal will be played from August 7 to 13. You can get all the tennis betting news with our tennis betting blog here. Also get rest of the tennis match previews here.
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