Lucie Havlickova vs Alena Kovackova

WTA Prague 1st Round Preview: Lucie Havlickova vs Alena Kovackova

🧠 Form & Context

Lucie Havlickova
🔥 Red-hot summer: Havlickova is on a 13–1 tear in July, including a dominant title run at the Mogyorod ITF where she won every match in straight sets.
🎾 Clay specialist shifting surfaces: All 15 of her wins this season have come on clay; she’s yet to play a match on hard courts in 2025.
🇨🇿 Home crowd boost: A Prague native and fan favorite, she’s played this event three times before, with a best showing in 2022 (R2).
📉 Still rebuilding: Former junior Slam champ, once ranked in the top 200, now trying to claw her way back up from No. 838.

Alena Kovackova
🌟 Big qualification wins: Took out Rodionova and Stefanini—both higher ranked—to qualify for her first WTA main draw in Prague.
⚖️ Balanced season: 7–7 on clay, but 2–0 on hard in 2025 after this week’s run. Appears sharper in faster conditions.
📊 Still unproven: Ranked No. 773, with most of her wins coming at ITF level. Did beat Irina Bara and pushed Blokhina to three sets in recent ITFs.
🏁 Gaining steam: Played three-setters in five of her last seven matches and seems to be gaining match toughness.

🔍 Match Breakdown

This is an all-Czech battle between two rising players still trying to find footing at tour level. Havlickova clearly has more pedigree—both in terms of career peak and recent dominance at the ITF level. However, she hasn’t played a single hard-court match this year, and all her recent wins came on clay.

Kovackova, by contrast, has a couple of confidence-building wins this week, including over a former top-100 player. While she lacks Havlickova’s shotmaking polish, her comfort on hard courts and match sharpness could level the playing field.

It will come down to whether Havlickova can translate her clay confidence and controlled aggression onto a faster surface—or whether Kovackova’s familiarity with the court conditions and rhythm gives her an edge.

🔮 Prediction

Prediction: Havlickova in 3 sets
The form she's carrying from her ITF clay domination should give her the belief to fight through, even if the surface shift causes early struggles. Expect a tight, nervy start, but her overall edge in power and experience could be the decider.