Following a strong showing in her first round match, Simona Halep will further her campaign Down Under when she comes up against Jarmila Gajdosova, whom she has never faced previously on the professional tour. Of the announced second round matches on tap so far, this is easily one of the more intriguing ones.

Watch the match live here: Halep v Gajdosova

The Romanian No. 1 needed minimal effort to dispatch of her first challenge at the Australian Open, as she defeated Karin Knapp in straight sets 6-3, 6-2 to reach the second round of the tournament. Halep, who went down a break early in the match, hit 57% of her first service points, struck 15 winners and 26 unforced errors to close out the match in 1 hour and 27 minutes.

Her opponent, Jarmila Gajdosova, defeated Alexandra Dulgheru 6-3 6-4 to advance to the second round of the tournament. She won 76% of her first service points and 19 winners to win the match in 1 hour and 28 minutes.

“Obviously she’s been playing well. She’s 3 in the world,” said Jarmila. “As I said, I been playing lately seems like all the top 10ers the last three weeks, so it’s just another person on the other side of the net. I’m going to go to play the way I played today, the way I played last week, and I will fight and do my best. We’ll see who comes on top.”

This marks the first time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour and could make for an entertaining and competitive affair. Gajdosova looked motivated to compete last week and has managed to carry that momentum over to Melbourne. If she plays her cards correctly, she could be primed for an upset.

Prediction: Simona Halep in Three Sets