Karolina Pliskova vs Sloane Stephens Preview & Prediction | 2026 Australian Open | First Round
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Karolina Pliskova faces Sloane Stephens in the first-round of the Australian Open.
Start date/time:
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Surface: Outdoor hard
How to watch on TV: UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN
How to watch online: UK – discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & Tennis Channel
Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Karolina Pliskova vs Sloane Stephens ticket information
Karolina Pliskova vs Sloane Stephens prediction
Karolina Pliskova returns to the Australian Open, with her best finish being a semi-final appearance in 2019. She is using a protected ranking to compete at the major, having barely featured on the tour since suffering an ankle injury at the 2024 US Open. She made a small comeback in the autumn at lower-level tournaments, but picked up just one victory out of three matches.
She faces Sloane Stephens in the first-round. Stephens, who has also suffered from her fair share of injuries recently, was able to qualify for the event after three wins in qualifying.
These two first played against each other at Wimbledon in 2012, and Stephens leads the head-to-head 6-1. She has momentum on her side and there are way too many question marks over Pliskova’s fitness heading into this. Stephens seems to be match-fit and if she replicates her level over the past few days, she should be able to get the job done.
Karolina Pliskova vs Sloane Stephens tip: Sloane Stephens to win
