Wimbledon: Karolina Pliskova vs. Iga Swiatek - prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far

Defending Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek survived a large scare successful her tourney opener against Taylor Townsend to publication a second-round lucifer against Karolina Pliskova connected Thursday.

The Polish prima present faces a chap erstwhile satellite No. 1, pursuing her Czech opponent's straight-sets occurrence implicit compatriot Tereza Valentova.

Match preview

Heading into her tourney opener against Townsend, Swiatek was undoubtedly alert of her caller struggles to get the amended of opponents successful drawn-out matches.

The defending Wimbledon champion was 4-8 for the play successful three-set matches, losing 7 of her erstwhile 8 specified contests.

As such, the signs were acold from promising erstwhile Townsend responded to claiming conscionable 1 crippled successful Tuesday's opening acceptable by forcing a decider.

However, the six-time Grand Slam champion dug heavy to unafraid the last set, claiming a 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 victory.

By signaling the win, Swiatek extended her tally of opening-round victories astatine Grand Slams to 26, having past suffered a decision connected her Wimbledon debut successful 2019.

The satellite No. 1 present heads into Thursday's brushwood holding a 19-5 vocation grounds astatine the Championships, wherever she aims to go the archetypal pistillate since Serena Williams successful 2016 to successfully support her title.

Overcoming Pliskova volition beryllium tricky, particularly considering the Czech subordinate is 1 of 3 women from her state to scope a Championships rubric lucifer this decade, alongside Marketa Vondrousova and Barbora Krejcikova.

Although Pliskova was beaten by Ashleigh Barty successful the 2021 final, that tally has proven to beryllium an outlier for the erstwhile finalist, who had nary quarter-final appearances preceding that tally and has achieved nary since.

In fact, the 34-year-old has failed to advancement past the 2nd circular successful her caller visits, exiting successful the 2nd circular successful 2022 followed by consecutive first-round departures successful 2023 and 2024.

As such, defeating compatriot Valentova connected Tuesday ended a drawstring of opening-round losses astatine SW19, and she present aims to stun Swiatek to scope the 3rd circular for the archetypal clip since that finalist run.

Given that the erstwhile satellite No. 1 reached the quarter-finals successful Queen's and semi-finals successful Nottingham during her grass-court build-up, she undeniably possesses momentum up of a 4th gathering with the six-time Slam winner.

Tournament truthful far

Karolina Pliskova:

First round: vs. Tereza Valentova 6-3 6-4

Iga Swiatek:

First round: vs. Taylor Townsend 6-1 2-6 6-3

Head To Head

Canadian Open (2023) - Round of 32: Swiatek 7-6(6) 6-2

Stuttgart Open (2023) - Quarter-final: Swiatek 4-6 6-1 6-2

Italian Open (2021) - Final: Swiatek 6-0 6-0

Thursday's brushwood volition beryllium the 4th betwixt Swiatek and Pliskova, with the Pole unsurprisingly starring 3-0 successful their head-to-head record. 

Two of their 3 meetings person been connected clay, with Swiatek dropping conscionable 1 acceptable successful their 2023 lucifer successful Stuttgart pursuing a double-bagel triumph successful the Rome last 2 years earlier 

With their astir caller gathering taking spot connected the hard courts of Montreal 3 years ago, Thursday's lucifer marks their archetypal clash astatine a Grand Slam and their archetypal connected grass.

We say: Swiatek to triumph successful 2 sets

Pliskova surely possesses the tools to occupation Swiatek connected this surface, particularly fixed the Polish superstar's 5-8 grounds successful deciding sets. 

While the six-time Grand Slam champion is backed to borderline the lucifer successful 2 choky sets, going the region connected Thursday could marque the apical effect sweat.