Mai Hontama vs Barbora Krejcikova Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Australian Open

Prediction published on 13/01/2024, 06:05  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 13/01/2024 at 07:05 in Tennis Predictions

Ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova takes on unseeded Mai Hontama in round one of the Australian Open. Unseeded opposition will be faced by the winner in round two, either Jodie Anne Burrage or Tamara Korpatsch. Krejcikova is 11th in the live rankings and last year reached the fourth round of this hard court Grand Slam. The year before that the Czech made it to the last eight. This year started for her with a three-set first round loss in the Adelaide International to Anna Kalinskaya. It's likely to be a busy tournament for her as Krejcikova is also defending the women's doubles title she won here last year. The Czech can be a major force in the singles when at her best. That was shown when winning titles in Dubai and Southern California in 2023. Her one previous match against Hontana was won but that was four years ago and her singles record has improved since then.

That makes this an even stiffer task for her opponent who is 121st in the live rankings. Hontana received a wild card to take part in this tournament and the Japanese player doesn't have an impressive record in Grand Slams. This is only her second time in the main draw of one, the other being when reaching the second round at Wimbledon in 2022. Last year saw her lose in the qualifying rounds of all four Grand Slam events. This is her first match of the year and our tip is for Krejcikova to win this in straight sets.