Experienced players Petra Martic and Zhang Shuai face each other in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open on Thursday.
Petra Martic
The Croatian star took part in the inaugural United Cup. She defeated Nadia Podoroska in three sets but lost to Caroline Garcia and Maria Sakkari in straight sets.
In the first round of the Australian Open, Martic faced Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic. The one-sided encounter ended in straight sets 6-3, 6-4. The 31-year-old produced her best result at the Australian Open in 2018, when she reached the fourth round. She will look to better it this time.
Zhang Shuai
The two-time Grand Slam winner in doubles is playing the singles, doubles, as well as mixed doubles events in this year’s Australian Open. She began the new season with a loss to Liudmila Samsonova in the first round of the Adelaide International 1. In the Adelaide International 2, Zhang lost her first qualifying match against Ana Bogdan.
The 33-year-old began her campaign with a win against Patricia Maria Tig. Shuai lost the second set but dominated the first and third sets and finished the match 6-1, 4-6, 6-0. The 23rd seed won 95 points in comparison to just 70 won by her opponent.
Head-to-Head and Prediction
Zhang Shuai and Petra Martic have faced each other on three occasions. The latter has a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head scoreline. Their most recent encounter came last year in the quarterfinals of the Japan Open. Shuai won the match in straight sets 7-5, 6-2.
Prediction: Petra Martic to win in three sets.
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