Women’s Olympic Tennis First Round – Sara Errani vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Sara Errani vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova taking place? Sara Errani vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will take place on Saturday 24th July, 2021 at (not before) 03:00 (UK)
Where is Sara Errani vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova taking place? Sara Errani vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will take place at Ariake Tennis Park in Tokyo
What surface is Sara Errani vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova played on? Sara Errani vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will be played on hard courts
Where can I get tickets for Sara Errani vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova? There are no tickets for Sara Errani vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova as Olympic Tennis will take place without spectators.
What TV channel is Sara Errani vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on in the UK? Olympic coverage is shared between BBC and Eurosport so it is worth checking their schedules for Sara Errani vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Where can I stream Sara Errani vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the UK? If Sara Errani vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is televised on BBC then it can be streamed live on the BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website & app. If Sara Errani vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is televised on Eurosport then subscribers can stream the match live on Eurosport Player
THE PREDICTION
World number 18 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has enjoyed an excellent summer this season and is not far from a career-high 13th in the WTA world rankings she achieved a decade ago after finishing runner-up at Roland-Garros last month. The Russian has 12 WTA titles to her name and with many of those coming on courts of these conditions she should be regarded as a contender for a medal in Tokyo this week. In her way is fellow veteran Sara Errani, who has reached three quarter-finals on tour this year so far. The Italian former world number five has nine WTA titles to her name to make for a first round match of real pedigree here.
The pair have faced-off six times over the years with Pavlyuchenkova leading their head-to-head record 4-2. They have not met since 2017, where the Russian won on clay but their hard court record is at 2-2. However, 34-year-old Errani is certainly in the twilight of her excellent career whilst Pavlyuchenkova is experiencing something of a renaissance this season. The 30-year-old made her first Grand Slam final back in June with her combative, positive tennis that should see her come through this the winner.
