Number 10 seed and the American favourite Serena Williams will start her campaign in the 2019 Roland Garros against the Russian Vitalia Diatchenko on Monday, May 27. The match timings will be announced soon. Get Serena Williams v Vitalia Diatchenko live streaming options and previews here.
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Serena Williams v Vitalia Diatchenko Head to Head
The two ladies have met only once on the tour, in the 2015 US Open. Williams won that match 6-2, 2-0 before the Russian retired from the game.
Williams – An Outsider in Paris
For the first time in as many years, Serena Williams is heading into the Roland Garros, not as a prime contender. She has been awarded the 10th seed and even though she is placed in a fairly easy bracket, it may not do the trick for her.
Serena has won the French Open thrice in her career, in addition to reaching the final in 2016. But last year, she made it as far as the fourth round.
This season, however, it has been a different case for former World No. 1. She has been battling a mix of problems, starting with loss in form, injuries, and illness. In the Australian Open, she lost to Karolina Pliskova after squandering a few match points.
Then, she retired in the third round in Indian Wells, against Garbine Muguruza and the same thing happened in Miami too. She was supposed to face Qiang Wang but withdrew from the match, citing health reasons.
After a brief hiatus, she returned to action in Rome just last week. After battling past Rebecca Peterson, she was to play her sister, Venus Williams, in the next round. But the fans were once again disappointed when Serena pulled out of the match.
Williams admitted that she has been out for longer than expected and as a result, she hasn’t had the time to train or practice. This will no doubt prove to be a deciding factor in her performance in Paris.
Can Diatchenko do the Impossible?
The 28-year-old Russian hasn’t made it past the first round in Paris since 2015. Last year, she lost in the qualifiers itself but this time, she was awarded a ticket into the main draw.
Diatchenko now faces an opponent who is all out of sorts but for the Moscovite, it may be a bit tricky to deliver the upset of this scale. She has spent most this season on the ITF circuit, where she has had some success.
For instance, she won the events in Grenoble and Shrewsbury back to back, and later followed it with three consecutive ITF wins in Croissy-Beaubourg, Bolton, and Istanbul. With five ITF trophies already this season, she is certainly ruling this circuit.
But on the WTA Tour, she hasn’t really made an impact, failing to move past the qualifying rounds.
Serena Williams v Vitalia Diatchenko Predictions & Tips
Serena will start this match as the overwhelming favourite to win but it may not be a clean victory for her. This match will serve as an important benchmark for the American and it will be interesting to see how she fares against the Russian.
Tip: Under 18.5 games in the match: 7/10 (888Sport)
You can watch & bet on Serena Williams v Vitalia Diatchenko on Sunday, May 25 here. . Get the latest tennis predictions and tips here.
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