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Simona Halep vs Lizette Cabrera Tips & Live Stream - Halep to defeat Aussie wildcard
- Simona Halep vs Lizette Cabrera preview and predictions for Monday’s Australian Open match.
- World no. 2 Halep reached the Australian Open final in 2018
- Halep will record an assured straight-sets win over Cabrera
- Match preview, predictions and live stream information.
Second seed Simona Halep looks set for a winning start to her 2021 Australian Open campaign (Getty Images)
Simona Halep vs Lizette Cabrera Predictions
Runner-up to Caroline Wozniacki at the 2018 Australian Open, two-time Grand Slam champion Halep reached the semifinals in Melbourne last year before being stopped by the powerful Garbine Muguruza.
Denied the opportunity to defend her Wimbledon title in 2020 by the pandemic, Halep went 23-3 over the course of the disrupted season and will be heavily favoured against world no. 140 Cabrera, in the Australian Open draw as a wildcard.
- Halep went 23-3 in 2020 and has a 24-10 record at the Australian Open
- The last player ranked outside the world’s top 120 to beat Halep was Maria Sharapova in 2017
- Cabrera has never beaten a player ranked inside the top 30
- The Australian wildcard lost her only warm-up match
Head to Head
This will be the first meeting between Simona Halep and Lizette Cabrera
Simona Halep Stats
Nationality: Romania
Age: 29 (27 September 1991)
Height: 5’6” (168cm)
Plays: Right-Handed
World Ranking: 2
Career High: 1 (October 2017)
Career WTA Singles Titles: 22
Simona Halep Form
Halep warmed up for the Australian Open by playing the Gippsland Trophy at Melbourne Park, defeating Anastasia Potapova and 16th seed Laura Siegemund in straight sets at the WTA 500.
She was then defeated 2-6, 1-6 by Ekaterina Alexandrova in the quarterfinals.
Although Alexandrova has been one of the in-form players of the past couple of years, Halep’s poor serving was concerning. She won less than 48% of points behind her first serve.
However, Halep is one of those players who often needs quite a few matches to find her best tennis and she should be more than capable of playing herself into form against opponents like Cabrera.
Lizette Cabrera Stats
Nationality: Australia
Age: 23 (19 December 1997)
Height: 5’6” (168cm)
Plays: Right-Handed
World Ranking: 140
Career High: 119 (3 February 2019)
Career WTA Singles Titles: 0
Lizette Cabrera Form
Australia’s Cabrera has finished inside the top 150 for the past three years but has yet to break into the top 100.
She made a brilliant finish to 2019 by reaching the final of three consecutive ITF $60k events, winning two, and began 2020 by making the quarterfinals of the WTA International tournament in Hobart.
But the sport’s shutdown disrupted that momentum and Cabrera only played two tournaments in 2020 after February, winning just one completed match.
Cabrera lost her only warm-up match to Varvara Gracheva last week in three sets, and the Australian wildcard has a less than overwhelming serve. She has never faced a top-20 player.
Simona Halep vs Lizette Cabrera FAQs
Where can I watch a Simona Halep vs Lizette Cabrera live stream?
Our live streaming calendar shows you where to watch the Simona Halep vs Lizette Cabrera live stream.
What round of the Australian Open is Simona Halep vs Lizette Cabrera?
Simona Halep vs Lizette Cabrera are meeting in the first round of the Australian Open.
Verdict
Halep should record a straightforward victory over Australian wildcard Cabrera to book her place in the second round of the Australian Open for the seventh time in her career.
