Roland Garros 2021: Serena Williams vs Mihaela Buzarnescu preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (7) Serena Williams vs Mihaela Buzarnescu

Date: 2 June 2021

Tournament: Roland Garros 2021

Round: Second round (Round of 64)

Venue: Paris, France

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Red Clay

Prize money: €17,171,108

Match timing: Not before 4 pm local time, 2 pm GMT, 10 am EST, 7.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | UK - ITV | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP

Serena Williams vs Mihaela Buzarnescu preview

Serena Williams began her 2021 Roland Garros campaign with a 7-6(6), 6-2 win against Irina-Camelia Begu on Monday. The three-time French Open champion will now face Mihaela Buzarnescu in the second round.

Serena Williams began brightly against Begu, racing away to a 5-2 lead in the opening set. But the Romanian fought back to draw level at 5-5 before proceeding to break the American's serve again.

Williams broke right back to force a tiebreak, where she had to save two set points with some high-octane tennis before claiming the opener.

Serena Williams beats Irina Begu 7-6(6), 6-2 to reach the 2nd round at #RolandGarros. Saved two set points in the first set. pic.twitter.com/02XjjjIQIW

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) May 31, 2021

The second set was smooth sailing for the 39-year-old, who racked up 27 winners in the match while committing 30 unforced errors. Williams did not enjoy too much success on her serve, though, as she managed to win less than 60% of the points on both her first and second deliveries.

Mihaela Buzarnescu, meanwhile, overcame Arantxa Rus 7-5, 7-5 in a topsy-turvy match that featured a total of 12 service breaks. Both players struggled to get much purchase on their respective serves.

In fact, Buzarnescu won only 39% of the points played on her second serve, a number that will need to rise considerably if she is to upset Williams.

Serena Williams vs Mihaela Buzarnescu head-to-head

Serena Williams and Mihaela Buzarnescu have never crossed paths on the tour before, so their head-to-head stands at 0-0.

Serena Williams vs Mihaela Buzarnescu prediction

Mihaela Buzarnescu

Serena Williams enters this match as the firm favorite. Her forehand is likely to do plenty of damage against Mihaela Buzarnescu, who is not renowned for her defensive skills.

The southpaw does, however, excel in finding sharp angles on her crosscourt returns, which she could use to give the American the run around.

The key for Williams would be to serve well and prevent her younger opponent from making inroads into her service games. That would allow her to pile pressure on Buzarnescu's serve with some aggressive returns.

Buzarnescu, on her part, will look to direct the majority of the traffic to Williams' backhand, as anything sent to the American's forehand will be met with interest.

Prediction: Serena Williams to win in straight sets.

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