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Match details
Fixture: (30) Kristina Mladenovic vs Varvara Gracheva
Date: 2 September 2020
Tournament: US Open 2020
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, USA
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $39,024,000
Match timing: 11 am EDT, 8.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel / ESPN | India - Star Sports / Hotstar
Kristina Mladenovic vs Varvara Gracheva preview
Having dispatched one rising star in Hailey Baptiste, 30th seed Kristina Mladenovic faces yet another promising talent in World No. 102 Varvara Gracheva in the second round of US Open 2020 on Wednesday.
Ranked 44, Mladenovic has had an inconsistent season so far with a run to the Round of 16 in Dubai as a qualifier being her standout performance. However, the former World No. 10 did play a couple of solid matches last week at the Western & Southern Open which she can draw inspiration from.
A spirited 1-6, 7-6(5), 3-6 loss to the 22nd-ranked Elise Mertens showed that she was striking the ball well and that was on full display in her 7-5, 6-2 win over 18-year-old Baptiste.
Meanwhile, 20-year-old Varvara Gracheva broke new ground at the US Open by winning her first-ever main draw match at a Major. The Russian had played only two main-draw matches on the WTA Tour all year prior to arriving at New York but was able to put on a show in her 6-4, 7-5 victory over the 94th-ranked Paula Badosa.
Kristina Mladenovic vs Varvara Gracheva head-to-head
Kristina Mladenovic and Varvara Gracheva have never locked horns before and Wednesday's match will be a clash of youth and experience. While Gracheva has only been ranked as high as No. 100 in the world, Mladenovic is a former top 10 player.
The 20-year-old Gracheva has only just started out on the WTA circuit and is yet to win a title, while Mladenovic has won one title in singles and as many as 23 in doubles.
Kristina Mladenovic vs Varvara Gracheva prediction
Having been a quarter-finalist in this event five years ago, there is no doubt that Kristina Mladenovic's aggressive hitting is well-suited to the fast courts at Flushing Meadows.
If the Frenchwoman can keep her doubt faults at bay and cut down on her unforced errors, she should be able to seal a third-round berth relatively comfortably.
Prediction: Kristina Mladenovic to win in straight sets.
