Kontaveit is seeded 18th in the tournament, held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in the Californian city of the same name, after getting a bye in round one, and then defeating Martina Trevisan (Italy) in round two in straight sets (6:3, 5:2 – Trevisan pulled out due to injury before the match was completed).

Andreescu's route to the Kontaveit game also saw her getting a bye in round one, but she had to battle hard against U.S. player Alison Riske, taking almost three hours to defeat her 7:6 (2), 5:7, 6:2.

Andreescu, who once ranked fourth in the world, is seeded two places higher than Kontaveit, at 16th.

Kontaveit and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open victor, are expected to step on court between 10 and 11 p.m. Estonian time Monday.

Ahead of the game, Andreescu said: "I played [Kontaveit] on grass this year. Since we're now playing on a different surface, things can go either way – we both have a style which suits hardcourt surfaces."

"I think it will be a good game," she added.

The pair have met twice before, with the Estonian emerging victor both times. The first encounter in spring 2019 saw the Canadian, who had coincidentally just won that year's Indian Wells tournament, drop out early on in set two due to injury, with the score standing at 6:1, 2:0 in Kontaveit's favor. They then met in Eastbourne, when Kontaveit, 25, from Tallinn, again won in straight sets, 6:3, 6:3, going on to reach the final.

Andreescu, 21, made a return from a lengthy injury break in February this year.

Last year's Indian Wells tournament was canceled due to the pandemic, while this year it was postponed to autumn from its traditional spring-time slot.

Kontaveit recently rose three places to 20th in the WTA rankings. She and doubles partner Darja Kasatkina were put out of the Indian Wells doubles tournament last week, while Estonia's other tennis star, Kaia Kanepi, was put out by Madison Keys (U.S.) in round one.

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