Caroline Garcia (Twitter)
4th seed Caroline Garcia takes on the talented Leylah Fernandez in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open on Wednesday.
The Frenchwoman had a great end to the season last year as she triumphed at the WTA Finals. She won a couple of matches at the United Cup this season and followed it up with a run to the quarterfinals at the Adelaide International 2.
In the first round of the Australian Open, Garcia faced Canadian qualifier, Katherine Sebov. The world No. 4 made light work of her opponent and won the match in straight sets 6-3, 6-0. Garcia was exceptional on the first serve as she had a win percentage of 94. The veteran won 23 receiving points compared to just 8 won by her opponent. Garcia is eyeing her first Grand Slam title and a win against a Grand Slam finalist in Leylah Fernandez would certainly give her a lot of confidence.
The Canadian youngster did not have a great time at the Australian Open last year as she was ousted in the first round by Maddison Inglis. She has managed to start on a much better note this time.
Fernandez came into the tournament on the back of an exit in the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic. She finished runner-up at the doubles event. In the Australian Open, Fernandez faced the experienced Alize Cornet. The first set was competitive but Fernandez managed to bag it 7-5. She won the second set comfortably as the match ended 7-5, 6-2. Cornet did not play her best game and committed 7 doubles faults which benefitted her opponent.
Caroline Garcia and Leylah Fernandez will be facing each other for the first time. Therefore, the head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0.
Prediction: Caroline Garcia to win in three sets.
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