Unseeded players at different stages of their careers, Victoria Azarenka and Iga Swiatek will go face to face in the third round of the 2020 US Open and the match will be played Saturday, September 5. The timings will be announced soon. Get the live streaming options of this Victoria Azarenka v Iga Swiatek match along with its preview, head to head and tips here.
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Victoria Azarenka v Iga Swiatek Head to Head
This will be the first match between the 27th-ranked Azarenka and Swiatek, who is ranked 53rd on the WTA charts.
Also Read:
Azarenka Bosses Sabalenka in Round Two
It was expected to be a close match even if Azarenka was probably a slight favourite going into her second round encounter against the seeded Aryna Sabalenka. It turned out to be damp squib in the end, with the former Grand Slam winner taking full control of their match from the very start and completing a 6-1, 6-3 rout.
The match lasted a mere 67 minutes, with Azarenka breaking her opponent at every opportunity she got – five out of five. And while she hit just 11 winners, the biggest advantage she had was the mere nine unforced errors – that made all the difference against a player who made 27 of those errors.
Against a player who had won the Cincinnati Open last week and climbed up back into the top 30 of the rankings, the world number 11 Sabalenka proved to be no match.
This second round win against Sabalenka had followed a first round rout of Barbara Haas and the way Azarenka has gone in the past two weeks, predicting another such result might not be too far off the mark.
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New Day Brings Better Result for Swiatek
Swiatek was to play her second round match on Thursday but by the time the day was suspended due to rain, only one set of her encounter against Sachia Vickery could get completed. And Swiatek fell a set behind, losing in a tie-breaker.
The turnaround came early on Friday, when Swiatek won the early break of serve in the second set and while Vickery immediately broke back, the confidence seemed to be back for the Polish 19-year-old. Swiatek broke for the second time to take a 4-2 lead and then again to win the set 6-3 and level the proceedings.
The third set was a lot tougher for Swiatek and it was her fighting abilities which took her through here. The American got the early break and had four game points on her own serve to take a 4-2 lead. Instead, the Pole kept bouncing back and finally broke to level things off 3-3 before finishing the match off on her second match-point.
Swiatek, who had defeated Veronika Kudermetova in the first round, had shown what she’s capable of during the pandemic break, winning nine of 10 exhibition matches she played. However, those had come on clay, which is why her showing here will give her a fine injection boost.
Azarenka v Swiatek Prediction & Tip
Azarenka’s solid form makes her an odds on favourite to win this but let’s not discount the fatigue factor of having played so many matches in a row when one counts those at the Cincinnati Open last week. If Swiatek – who herself has had to play on successive days now – can find a way to push Azarenka early, we could end up with a three-setter.
Tip: Swiatek to win a set – Yes: 4/7 (bet365)
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The US Open 2020 will be played from August 31 to September 13. You can watch & bet on the US Open here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.