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Match details
Fixture: (18) Victoria Azarenka vs Jasmine Paolini
Date: 1 September 2021
Tournament: 2021 US Open
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $40,560,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN/ESPN 2 | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Victoria Azarenka vs Jasmine Paolini preview
Three-time finalist Victoria Azarenka will face Jasmine Paolini on Wednesday in the second round of the 2021 US Open.
Azarenka, who lost in the 2020 final to Naomi Osaka, opened her 2021 campaign with an imposing 6-4 6-0 win over Tereza Martincova on Monday. The Belarusian didn't hit the ground running though; she was trailing 4-2 in the opening set before winning 10 consecutive games to seal the win.
Azarenka has had a rough year after having showed signs of returning to peak form during last year's North American hardcourt stretch. The two-time Slam champion is defending 1,300 points in New York, and will suffer a considerable drop in the rankings if she fails to make a deep run this fortnight.
The unseeded Jasmine Paolini, meanwhile, registered her first ever main draw win at the US Open on Monday by defeating Yaroslava Shevdova in straight sets. Ranked 99th in the world, the 25-year-old Italian is a familiar face in the lower tier tournaments. She won her first WTA 125 title this year at the Bol Open.
Victoria Azarenka vs Jasmine Paolini head-to-head
The upcoming Round of 64 match at the US Open will be the first ever career meeting between Victoria Azarenka and Jasmine Paolini. Their head-to-head, therefore, currently stands at 0-0.
Victoria Azarenka vs Jasmine Paolini prediction
Victoria Azarenka isn't in the same kind of form she was in this time last year. But she showed enough confidence on Monday to make her upcoming match look pretty straightforward on paper.
Azarenka's backhand and return are her biggest weapons, and would rank among the best ever seen in the sport. The 32-year-old can still hit the racket out of anyone's hands with these trusted allies.
But her inability to hold serve consistently has been her undoing this year. She would need to be more accurate with that shot if she hopes to go deep in the draw in New York.
Jasmine Paolini on her part likes playing from the baseline, using strong groundstrokes from both wings to create angles and open up the court. The Italian also knows how to pounce on and punish any weak serve from the opponent.
But standing at a mere 160 centimeters tall, Paolini isn't a strong server herself by any means. And Azarenka is probably the worst opponent a player with that skill-set could hope for.
Paolini's serve is expected to be at the mercy of Azarenka's peerless return all match, and hence we predict the Belarusian to win without much trouble.
Prediction: Victoria Azarenka to win in straight sets.
