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Match details
Fixture: (12) Simona Halep vs (LL) Kristina Kucova
Date: 1 September 2021
Tournament: US Open 2021
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: New York, United States
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $40,560,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Simona Halep vs Kristina Kucova preview
12th seed Simona Halep will take on lucky loser Kristina Kucova in the second round of the 2021 US Open on Wednesday. While Halep had to dig deep for a 6-4, 7-6(3) win over Camila Giorgi in the first round, Kucova eased past Ann Li 7-5, 6-1.
The victory over Giorgi is just the fourth for Halep since May. The Romanian suffered an injury to her calf muscle in Rome that sidelined her from the sport for close to three months. She was forced to miss Roland Garros, Wimbledon and even the Tokyo Olympics.
Halep returned to the tour during the US Open series but faced early exits in both Montreal and Cincinnati, at the latter of which she had to pull out due to a thigh injury. Nevertheless, the 29-year-old looked confident in her match against Giorgi, and will now be looking to make it to the third round here in New York for the first time since 2016.
Her opponent for Wednesday, Kristina Kucova, has been a regular in lower-tier tournaments over the last few years. Kucova has won 11 titles on the ITF tour and has a career-high ranking of No. 71 in the world.
The Slovak reached her maiden WTA final earlier this year in Warsaw, where she lost in straight sets to Maryna Zanevska.
Kucova had never won a match at the US Open prior to her win this week. After being handed a place in the main draw despite losing in the final round of qualifying, the World No. 111 would now be hoping to keep her momentum going.
Simona Halep vs Kristina Kucova head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between Simona Halep and Kristina Kucova, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Simona Halep vs Kristina Kucova prediction
Neither Simona Halep nor Kristina Kucova is the most hard-hitting of players. But the former's consistent baseline shot-making and exquisite point construction can help tilt the match in her favor.
She would certainly face a tricky challenge in Kucova, who is one of the rare players to employ double-handed shots from both wings. Halep would be hoping to continue her impressive serving from the previous match, where she hit six aces and won 83% of points on first serve.
If the Romanian avoids any mental lapses and stays consistent on her serve, she should be able to come out unscathed.
Prediction: Simona Halep to win in straight sets.
