Top seeded Ash Barty will take on Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova in the quarterfinal of the 2021 Australian Open on Wednesday, February 17, with the match likely to begin at around 11 am local time (12 noon BST or 7 pm Eastern Time previous day). Get the live streaming options of this Ash Barty v Karolina Muchova match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
Looking to watch 2021 Australian Open live streaming online?
- For tennis fans in the UK, Europe, Australia & elsewhere go to bet365 > Tennis > Live Streaming here* to watch & bet on the ATP & WTA tennis live.
- Get all the other Australian Open 2021 live streaming options here
[the_ad id=”14063″]
*Advertisement. Geo-restrictions apply & pre-funded account needed
Ash Barty v Karolina Muchova Head to Head
The world number one Barty and the 27th-ranked Muchova have played just once before this and the Aussie had won that one. Barty needed two sets to get past Muchova in the third round of that 2018 US Open match.
Also Read:
Barty’s Breezy Run Continues into the Quarterfinals
Having begun the tournament by double-bagelling Danka Kovinic in the first round, Barty went on to overcome Daria Gavrilova and Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets as well. It was only a second set in the Gavrilova encounter that Barty seemed to struggle a tad but in the end came through in a tie-breaker.
Going into her fourth round match against the in-form Shelby Rogers, Barty was 1/5 favourite to win it, but Rogers’ form coming into the encounter meant it could go right down to the wire.
Instead, the match lasted just a little over an hour in which the only shred of trouble Barty had was when she dropped one of the two breaks of serve advantage she had while serving at 5-2. This was followed by a comfortable hold in the next game to win the match 6-3, 6-4.
Barty’s solid form now makes her a firm favourite in her half of the draw but standing between her and a place in the semifinal is a player who has herself never reached a Grand Slam semi.
[the_ad id=”30344″]
Muchova Stunner for Mertens
Elise Mertens’ form has been the talk of the town and she had come into her fourth round match against Muchova at 1/3 to win it. That she failed to win even a set in the encounter was thanks to Muchova’s fighting capabilities, leading to a stunning 7-6, 7-5 victory for the Czech.
At one point in the opening set, it looked like the match was heading in the direction of the script. Mertens ran riot and broke Muchova twice to go 4-0 up, and another exchange of breaks later, the Belgian was all set to serve for the set at 5-2.
Muchova wasn’t giving up though, breaking back twice and forcing the set into a tie-breaker, in which she ran away to a win.
Armed with more confidence for the second set, Muchova drew first blood only to be broken soon after. However, she kept hammering away at her opponent’s serve, while maintaining her own to finally break Mertens in the 11th game of the set before serving out to love to complete the win.
The Czech, like her opponent, is yet to drop a set in this tournament, having already beaten Karolina Pliskova in the previous match. She could give Barty a run for her money here.
Barty v Muchova Prediction and Tip
Barty is 2/9 to win this and while that looks the most likely result, you could also look at the games market – over 20.5 games in the match. Or the following:
Tip: Barty to win AND Over 19.5 games: 11/8 (bet365)
[the_ad id=”30513″]
The 2021 Australian Open will be played from February 8 to 21. You can watch & bet on the these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
Be the first to comment