Petra Kvitova vs Paula Badosa Prediction: Will this go to the third set?

WTA Ostrava Open is on and the tournament is comparable to that of Grand Slams such as US Open. The field is stacked right from the get-go and the first rounds itself have seen many incredible draws. In one of the most exciting battles, Petra Kvitova will take on Paula Badosa.

Petra comes into the game after defeating Bernarda Pera 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. Kvitova has remained a firm competitor throughout her career and she has been peaking once again, after making multiple trips to the deep ends of a tournament. Kvitova is known for her aggressive style and she can tilt the game in her favor through an early burst. With all this experience, she also developed a defensive game and can duke it out if the affair spreads out to the third set. Her style of play survives well on the WTA Tour.

Paula Badosa’s stars have rather taken a tumble in the second half of the year. After great plunders in the prior years, Badosa is having an off-time since the middle of the year. Despite being among the top-two rank holders, her best Grand Slam run thus far has been a Quarter-Finals appearance in 2021 US Open. One of the reasons for her lean run has been that her return game has been off for a long time now and she is unable to break serve, something which is vital in the game of course.

These two have met twice in their career and the head-to-head is tied at one each. When these two last met during Wimbledon, Badosa won in two sets, but both required Iga to win seven games.

This one is a tough one to call. Badosa has been a hefty challenger in recent memory who has mounted many impressive campaigns but Kvitoa, a former Grand Slam champion, has found her groove and is a tough match-up. Badosa’s return game has to be switched on here against the power of Kvitova, there is no other way she can win. I believe Kvitova will pin out a three-set win. This can be a long affair.