Sorana Cirstea vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – Third Round – Preview & Prediction | 2022 Australian Open
Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!
THE FACTS
When is Sorana Cirstea vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on and what time does it start? Sorana Cirstea vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will take place on Saturday 22nd January, 2022 – not before 10:00 (UK)
Where is Sorana Cirstea vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova taking place? Sorana Cirstea vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will take place at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia
What surface is Sorana Cirstea vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova being played on? Sorana Cirstea vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will take place on an outdoor hard court
Where can I get tickets for Sorana Cirstea vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Sorana Cirstea vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
What channel is Sorana Cirstea vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on in the UK? Sorana Cirstea vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will be televised live on Eurosport
Where can I stream Sorana Cirstea vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the UK? Eurosport subscribers can stream Sorana Cirstea vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova live on their website, while Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match live on Sky Go
THE LOWDOWN
SORANA CIRSTEA
World number 38 Sorana Cirstea has conceded just eight games so far at the Australian Open which is all the more impressive considering she beat Petra Kvitova in the first round. The 31-year-old backed that up with an assured win over Kristina Kucova and one more win would match her best showing here in Melbourne from 2017. Cirstea won her second career WTA title last season at the Istanbul Open, 13 years on from her first as a teenager at the Tashkent Open in 2008.
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA
10th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova seems to be going unnoticed in her portion of the Australian Open draw but she could be a serious dark horse after conceding just six games in admittedly simple fixtures against Anna Bondar and the retiring Sam Stosur. 30-year-old Pavlyuchenkova is currently ranked at her career-high WTA world ranking of 11th after reaching the Roland-Garros final last summer. The Russian won the latest of her 12 career WTA titles at the Strasbourg Open in 2018 but she has been a quarter-finalist here in three of her last five appearances.
THE PREDICTION
Sorana Cirstea and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova first met on tour back in 2008, where the Romanian won the day on clay in Morocco. Cirstea has won both of their meetings on her favoured surface, the more recent coming at the Madrid Open in 2017, and a further hardcourt victory at the Linz Open back in 2011 but Pavlyuchenkova has three wins of her own including two of the last three. Cirstea has a real chance at an upset here after shocking Petra Kvitova in the first round and Victoria Azarenka at Wimbledon last season but Pavlychenkova looks uber-confident this week and she remains the fair favourite. It would not be a surprise to see Cirstea snatch a set here and so taking the Russian to win outright is the sensible move.
