Bianca Andreescu and Anastasia Zakharova will take on each other in the round of 16 of the 2023 WTA Thailand Open on February 2.
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In order to make things more interesting, Bianca Andreescu dropped three straight games while leading by a set and 5-1 against Harriet Dart. In her first-ever match in Thailand, the former world No. 4 eventually broke to love to secure a 6-3, 6-4 victory. She won only 47% of her second serves and just 60% of her first serves. She lost to world No. 100 and qualifier Cristina Bucsa in the second round of the Australian Open, which was her worst ranking loss in four years when she arrived in Hua Hin. By making it to just her third quarterfinal since May 2021—Rome and Bad Homburg the year before—she would be doing herself a favour.
Prior to this week, Anastasia Zakharova was 1-6 against top 100 players and 0-7 in WTA first-round matches. After falling behind Anna Karolina Schmiedlova by a set and 5-3, the 21-year-old turned the match around and won 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in more than three hours under the lights. The Russian’s young professional career has seen modest but steady improvement; she entered the top 200 in 2021 and reached a high of No. 156 in June of the previous year. She reached the W100 Dubai quarterfinal two months ago, capping off a 2022 in which she won three W25 titles in Astana and Tbilisi.
| Caroline Garcia vs Alison van Uytvanck | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | February 1, 2023 |
| Surface | Hard courts |
| Tournament | Thailand Open |
| Stage | Round of 16 |
| Time (India) | 3:45 pm |
| Time (Thailand) | 5:15 pm |
Bianca Andreescu has had an up and down season so far in 2023. While she was ousted in the Australian Open rather unexpectedly by Cristina Bucsa, the Canadian has picked up a few impressive wins over the past five games over the likes of Garbine Muguruza and Marie Bouzkova.
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Harriet Dart | 6-3, 6-4 (W) |
| Cristina Bucsa | 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 (L) |
| Marie Bouzkova | 6-2, 6-4 (W) |
| Veronika Kudermetova | 6-4, 6-0 (L) |
| Garbine Muguruza | 0-6, 7-6, 6-1 (W) |
Despite winning three of her last five games, Anastasia Zakharova has not performed particularly well when she has been up against higher-ranked opposition.
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Anna Karolina Schmeidlova | 6-3, 5-7, 3-6 (W) |
| Lucrezia Stefanini | 6-3, 7-5 (L) |
| Nigina Abduraimova | 7-5, 6-3 (L) |
| Kaylah McPhee | 6-3, 6-1 (W) |
| Natalija Kostic | 6-1, 6-1 (W) |
0-0. In her two encounters with top-50 players, Anastasia Zakharova lost in straight sets to Sara Sorribes Tormo at 2021 Ostrava and Alize Cornet at Prague last year. If Bianca Andreescu wants to play in her first hardcourt quarterfinal since Miami two years ago, she will be the overwhelming favourite.
Bianca Andreescu and Anastasia Zakharova will take on each other in the round of 16 of the 2023 WTA Thailand Open on February 2.
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