French tennis star Caroline Garcia will take on the Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova in the QF of the Abierto de Guadalajara. Garcia reached the SF here last year, while Bouzkova made it to the semis in 2022. So, both of them have the experience of bringing out their A-game at this venue. The 26-year-old Czech tennis star has been in decent form this season. Can she stop the former world number 4 in this enticing encounter?

Caroline Garcia vs Marie Bouzkova: Preview

Caroline Garcia’s best results this season came in Miami where she reached the QF and then she managed to go a step further in Open de Rouen. Yet, over there, she was defeated by America’s Sloane Stephens in the SF. Apart from that, there haven’t been any noteworthy performances from her in this season as of now. She defeated Japan’s Ena Shibahara in a hard-fought two-setter in the R16. Will she get the chance to witness a cakewalk in the QF?

Time will tell! Now, if we look at Marie Bouzkova’s records in the 2024 season, she started her season with a bang in Auckland. Bouzkova reached the QF at the ASB Classic and then after that, she reached the finals of the Copa Colsanitas. However, her performance at the Citi Open stands tall among the rest. Over there, she defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the SF but eventually had to face defeat at the hands of Sabalenka’s ‘soulmate’, Paula Badosa in the final. Here, she has already won two of her previous matches. Bouzkova defeated Italy’s Lucrezia Stefanini in the R16 by 6-2,6-1.

Garcia vs Bouzkova: Head-to-Head

Caroline Garcia has faced Marie Bouzkova four times in her career as of now. Interestingly, she had to face defeat in all of her four matches. So, currently, the Czech tennis player leads the H2H scoreline by a comfortable 4-0 margin.

• 2021 Birmingham R16: Bouzkova 6-3,6-0.
• 2022 Wimbledon R16: Bouzkova 7-5,6-2.
• 2023 Wimbledon R32: Bouzkova 7-6(0),4-6,7-5.
• 2023 Montreal R32: Bouzkova 6-4,4-6,6-2.

Prediction: Bouzkova to win in straight sets

Well, it has been one woman show so far in their previous meetings. Although Caroline Garcia showed a fair bit of resilience in the last two encounters, still looking at the current form, Bouzkova looks most likely to have the edge here. Garcia is currently ranked 30th in the world and she has a win-loss record of 17-16. On the other hand, Marie Bouzkova (45) has a win-loss record of 20-17 in this season. The only thing that should be concerning Bouzkova will be thigh. She was seen struggling a bit with her right thigh in the previous match.

However, if she stays fit then beating her may become a bit challenging for Garcia. Bouzkova’s aggressive style of play may cause a few troubles for the French player. Her ferocious groundstrokes and her incredible court coverage are two of the biggest strengths in her game. Apart from Bouzkova’s injury concerns in this match, there is another thing that she needs to keep an eye on. She has hit 87 aces so far in the 2024 season but has committed near about 100 double faults. Marie Bouzkova needs to check the high percentage of the double fault counts right from the word go in this match.

Caroline Garcia on the other hand is more of an offensive baseliner. Her powerful and consistent groundstrokes along with her strong service games are some of her biggest strengths. She has hit 229 aces and committed 92 double faults this season as of now. Garcia’s forehand is her stronger wing and she can hit many clean winners with the help of that shot. She also possesses a good two-handed backhand which always tends to keep her opponents on the toes. Apart from all these, Bouzkova needs to watch out for Garcia’s incredible footwork. Overall, considering their previous records and current form, Bouzkova looks ahead in the contest against the former Top 10.