World No. 7 Elina Svitolina will face the Slovakian Viktoria Kuzmova in the second round of the Australian Open, as the Ukranian continues her quest for a Grand Slam.
Watch & bet on Elina Svitolina v Viktoria Kuzmova live with bet365 here* on Thursday, January 17. The Svitolina v Kuzmova match timings will be announced soon.
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Svitolina’s Straight-Set Win
The Ukranian has started her Australian Open campaign on a winning note against the Swiss qualifier Viktorija Golubic. It took Svitolina just one hour and two minutes to win the match 6-1, 6-2. Over the course of that match, she served 9 aces and doled out 25 winners to book a spot in the second round.
That win was much needed for the sixth seed, who started her season at the Brisbane International and lost in the first round there to Aliaksandra Sasnovich. However, despite her uneventful start to the tour this year, she is still pegged as one of the players who can very well go the distance here.
The last couple of seasons have been career-defining for the 24-year-old player. In 2018, she successfully defended her title at the WTA Dubai and Italian Open. She was also quite consistent on the tour and made it to the penultimate rounds in competitions in many instances. She capped her year with a winning run in the WTA Finals Singapore.
Kuzmova’s Average Start to the Season
The 20-year-old Kuzmova began her year at the Auckland Open, where she reached the semifinal before bowing down to Julia Goerges. She then went to Hobart where she lost in the second round to Kirsten Flipkens.
As for her performance in Melbourne, the World No. 48 faced the Ukranian Kateryna Kozlova in her opening match. That game lasted for two hours and 16 minutes that ultimately saw Kuzmova win with 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
She kept her first service win rate at 71% while creating 55 winners as against Kozlova’s 17. At the same time, she also committed 44 unforced errors – 18 more than her opponent’s.
Kuzmova is one of those players on the tour who has been working hard to build her form. She spent most of the previous year on the ITF circuit, with the exception of few competitions on the main tour. Her best run came at the WTA Budapest, where she reached the semifinal as a qualifier. The Slovenian was also a semifinalist at the WTA ‘S-Hertogenbosch.
Svitolina v Kuzmova – Head to Head
The two players have met each other only once on the circuit so far. That encounter took place in the second round of 2018 French Open, where Svitolina won in straight sets with 6-3, 6-4.
Considering this fixture, Svitolina will most certainly fancy her chances against the unseeded Slovakian. She will start this match as the favourite to win. Expect her to do so in straight sets.
Svitolina v Kuzmova – Who Will Win?
Svitolina shouldn’t have too many difficulties getting the better of her opponent in straight sets.
You can watch & bet on Elina Svitolina v Viktoria Kuzmova live with bet365 here on Thursday, January 17.
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