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Match details
Fixture: Anett Kontaveit vs Magda Linette
Date: 4 September 2020
Tournament: US Open 2020
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, USA
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $39,024,000
Match timing: 3 pm EDT, 12.30 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel / ESPN | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Anett Kontaveit vs Magda Linette preview
14th seed Anett Kontaveit will face the challenge of 24th seed Magda Linette in the third round of the 2020 US Open on Friday, for a place in the last 16.
Kontaveit comes into this match in a rich vein of form, having made the quarter-finals at the recently concluded Western & Southern Open. In addition to that, the 24-year-old also made the final at Palermo.
Linette, on the other hand, has had a poor hard-court season after the resumption of tennis. She won just one match in the two tournaments that she took part in (Top Seed Open and Cincinnati) heading into the US Open.
The Pole seems to have turned things around at the New York Slam, defeating Maddison Inglis and Danka Kovinic in succession, but has been made to work hard for both wins.
Kontaveit meanwhile has been ripping apart her opponents by hitting winners at will. Known to be quite aggressive at most times, the Estonian has lived up to that billing by pummeling 55 winners in the five sets of tennis that she has played so far this week.
Kontaveit is one of the most promising players on the tour currently, having made a remarkable improvement post her illness and surgery in 2019. The Estonian came back with a bang earlier this year by making her first foray into the last eight at a Grand Slam event (Australian Open).
Anett Kontaveit vs Magda Linette head-to-head
Magda Linette and Anett Kontaveit have played each other six times so far, with Linette leading the head-to-head 4-2.
The Pole has won their last three encounters, out of which the most recent one was in 2017 at Wuhan. Linette emerged victorious in that match by a scoreline of 7-5, 6-4.
Anett Kontaveit vs Magda Linette prediction
Even though Magda Linette does not favor hardcourts as much as Anett Kontaveit, she can be more than a handful on the surface. The Pole is a very accomplished baseline player and can control proceedings well from the back-end of the court.
But beating Kontaveit will not be easy at all. The Estonian is very assured with her footwork and possesses an excellent variety of shots that can leave Linette flat-footed. Her backhand in particular, can be very effective at disrupting Linette's court positioning.
The Estonian's wide serve can assist her in that regard, and it has been working well for her so far in the tournament.
Linette will almost certainly put up a tenacious display and make Kontaveit grind hard. But ultimately she is unlikely to be able to counter the Estonian's firepower off the ground.
Prediction: Anett Kontaveit to win in three sets.
