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Match details
Fixture: Venus Williams vs (20) Karolina Muchova
Date: 1 September 2020
Tournament: US Open 2020
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, USA
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $39,024,000
Match timing: 7 pm EDT, 4:30 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel / ESPN | India - Star Sports / Hotstar
Venus Williams vs Karolina Muchova preview
Former US Open champion Venus Williams takes on 20th seed Karolina Muchova as she begins her challenge at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday.
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Age is just a number for the seven-time Grand Slam champion as she has proved time and again. At 40, Venus Williams has shown no intent to stop and will be looking to take another shot at the title she last won in 2000 and 2001.
Even though her ranking has now slid to 67, Venus Williams' fighting spirit is very much there; she proved that with her post-pandemic performances. She returned at the Top Seed Open in Lexington and brushed aside Victoria Azarenka before going down to her sister Serena Williams in three sets.
The Western and Southern Open played at the Flushing Meadows bore further testimony to Venus Williams' stamina and hunger as she fought bravely only to go down to 16th seed Dayana Yastremska in a gruelling three-setter.
Czech player Karolina Muchova has been making headway on the WTA Tour for the past couple of years since upsetting two-time Grand Slam winner Garbine Muguruza at the 2018 US Open. The 24-year-old has followed that up with her maiden Major quarterfinal at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships which subsequently propelled her to a career-high number 21 in the world rankings.
The world number 26 has been doing fairly well on the hardcourts in New York as evident from her run to the US Open third round in the last two years. It is thus no wonder that she came to the Western and Southern Open brimming with confidence and took the former world number one Naomi Osaka to three sets.
Also check out: The complete 2020 US Open Schedule
Venus Williams vs Karolina Muchova head-to-head
Venus Williams and Karolina Muchova have never squared off against each other before, so their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.
Venus Williams vs Karolina Muchova prediction
While the older Williams sister has the achievements to show for, her Czech opponent has been way more consistent than the American veteran in recent times.
Karolina Muchova looks slightly better placed of the two in this face off. Her duel with Osaka last week could be pivotal in giving her the required fillip as she seeks a first-round win at the US Open for the third year in a row.
Muchova has been able to adapt to the conditions in New York very well and should look to make use of her power and finesse to test Venus Williams' movement. The 40-year-old does indeed have the motivation to compete but to be able to sustain it over three sets against a sprightly young competitor like Muchova might just be a tough ask at this stage of her career.
Prediction: Karolina Muchova to win in three sets.
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