5/5 - (11 votes)

The first set against Jennifer Brady seemed to me the best set of Simona Halep’s debut at a Grand Slam tournament, being extremely set up and ready for each stage of this tournament lasting 2 weeks.

Harriet Dart

◾️The 23-year-old player from the United Kingdom ranks 173 in the WTA rankings, the best career ranking being 121st.
◾️The previous season was not very consistent, taking part in ITF level tournaments, but without having remarkable results, and the best result was obtained in front of their supporters, at Wimbledon, where he reached the 3rd round. .
◾️This year he only participated in the tournament in Shenzen, where he did not pass the first qualifying round, while in Melbourne he already got 4 victories, 3 being in qualifying, and in the first he managed to defeat the Japanese Misaki Doi in 3 sets.

Simona Halep

◾️After a consistent 2019 season, with the Wimbledon supreme title winning, Simona starts the new year from the 4th position in the WTA standings.
◾️Besides the trophy in London, the Romanian also stood out in the Madrid tournament, where she was defeated in the last act by Kiki Bertens, while in Miami she reached the semifinals.
◾️The debut in this tournament was an excellent one for Simona, meeting Jennifer Brady, who in the first set did not make a mistake almost at all, Simona having to raise her level a lot since the debut of the tournament.

🎾Direct meetings

▫️The two players have not met so far in the circuit, and will take place the first match directly between them.

Harriet Dart: Team shape, news and statistics

▪️Harriet (23 years old) has achieved a very good qualification until this phase of the Australian competition.
▪️The British left the qualifiers, where she did not give up any set, and then defeated the Japanese Misaki Doi in the tiebreaking set.
▪️Dart does not excel in service, having here:
✔️1 ace and 4 double mistakes against Kostova
✔️0 aces and 2 double mistakes against Gibbs
✔️2 aces and 0 double mistakes against Gatto-Monticone
✔️0 aces and 4 double mistakes vs Two

Simona Halep: Team shape, news and statistics

▪️Simona (28 years old) passed the difficult test in the opening round against Jennifer Brady, scoring 7-6 6-1, saving the set balls in the first leg.
▪️Halep had a pretty nasty fall during that match, but fortunately the ankle withstood, and at the wrist the problem was not very serious.
▪️The Romanca played 2 more matches on the Australian soil, in Adelaide, being defeated by Aryna Sabalenka very clearly in the quarterfinals.
▪️She had problems with the secondary service, in that she struck quite soft and exposed herself to very strong returns.
▪️I think we’ll see balls pretty close to the lines and tomorrow, with the risks taken.
▪️In 2020, Simona has accumulated 3 doubles with Tomljanovic, 2 with Sabalenka and 0 with Brady.

🎾Direct match statistics Harriet Dart vs Simona Halep

▫️The two sportsmen have not met before in an official match of the women’s professional circuit.

Tennis Prediction of the Day Harriet Dart vs Simona Halep

I expect Simona to have an easy match in this first round and gain an easy victory, thus conserving her energy for the later stages of the tournament.
The player in the United Kingdom does not have the necessary weapons in the game to provide a solid replica of Simona, following the Romanian winning at least sets.

Bet Tips: H. Dart under 6.5 games
Odds: 1.80

I opt for a match with at least 4 double mistakes between Dart and Halep. Harriet is much less experienced and will certainly have enough errors due to the constant pressure exerted by Simona on her return.
The Romanian is only the fourth duel of 2020, sometimes has moments of hesitation and can also contribute to the chapter double mistakes.
Last year, the Wimbledon champion committed a total of 140 doubles in 56 disputes, which is an average of 2.5 per game.
Dart totaled 43 double errors in 14 matches (an average of 3.07) on the main tables of the WTA competitions.

Prediction Today: Over 3.5 double errors in the match
Odds: 1.75