TennisSection previews the 2021 French Open as Victoria Azarenka (15) meets Svetlana Kuznetsova in the First Round on Sunday May 30th, 2021.
WTA veterans Victoria Azarenka and Svetlana Kuznetsova will clash in the First Round here at the 2021 French Open. A very close and interesting match is expected as they do battle for the eleventh time in their careers. Will it be the fifteenth seeded Azarenka advancing here at Roland Garros 2021? Or will former champion Kuznetsova have what it takes to reach the Second Round?
Victoria Azarenka is ranked #16 in the WTA world rankings and is the fifteenth seed here at Roland Garros 2021. A winner of two Grand Slam singles titles, the Belarusian is still an extremely good player and should be considered a threat on any surface. She is a former Semi-Finalist here at the French Open, and will be hoping for a strong week here as she attempts to regain her top-10 ranking. Azarenka has been in indifferent form lately, and withdrew in Madrid with a back injury. It remains to be seen if that is still affecting her, and she enters this match as the slight favorite against Svetlana Kuznetsova. If Azarenka plays well then she has a good chance of advancing here at the 2021 French Open, but it certainly won’t be easy against the former French Open champion.
Svetlana Kuznetsova is currently ranked #40 in the world and is a former champion here at Roland Garros. The veteran is still a very strong player at 35 years of age, and is well known for her tenacious baseline game and huge fighting spirit. While she was in good form to start the year, notably reaching the Semis in St. Petersburg, she has not yet played a match on clay, leading to speculation that she may not be fully fit. Kuznetsova knows Victoria Azarenka well, as they have played each other ten times previously, and knows that it won’t be easy to get the win here. If she is to advance to the Second Round here at the 2021 French Open she will have to be at her very best, and her vast clay court experience will prove critical here at Roland Garros 2021.
This will be the eleventh career meeting between the two players, with Victoria Azarenka leading the head to head series 6-4. They last played each other earlier this year in Doha, with the Belarusian winning in straight sets. Both ladies have had successful careers and almost identical seasons so far, and we are in for a battle here at Roland Garros 2021. This match is difficult to call due to neither of them playing much on clay this season, but I am giving the slight edge to Azarenka here. She has been in better form that Svetlana Kuznetsova recently and while she hasn’t played on clay much I think that she will be able to grind out a tough win here. I expect three sets in the match, but Victoria Azarenka will advance to the Second Round here at the 2021 French Open.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Victoria Azarenka to win in three sets
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