Serena Williams did not allow herself to be humbled in the first round of the 2018 French Open as she defeated Kristyna Pliskova in her opening match of the tournament. Now, Williams prepares for a second-round meeting with Ashleigh Barty, who is the favorite in this match. Yes. A second-round favorite against arguably the greatest female tennis player of all-time. Read on for a preview of this match below.
Serena Williams sported a black suit in her first-round match against Kristyna Pliskova that she said was also her “way of being a superhero.” That said, she did not exactly look like a dominant force in her 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 win over Pliskova. In the Pliskova match, Williams was successful 55 percent of the time in her first serves and won 80 percent of her first serve points. She also had seven double faults, which could be taken as a sign that she continues to deal with rust after a long layoff to deal with pregnancy. Still, Williams is Williams, and the win over Pliskova could be all she needs to start heating up and getting her juices flowing. One thing that could concern Williams bettors is whether her conditioning will allow her body to navigate a grueling path to the top of this year’s edition of the French Open. The meeting with Barty, however, is just Williams’ second match in the tournament so there should be ample gas left in the three-time French Open champ’s tank.
Betting on Ashleigh Barty (-125)
Ashleigh Barty is through the first round of the French Open after sending Natalia Vikhlyantseva thanks to a decisive 6-3, 6-1 victory on Tuesday. It was a solid outing for Barty who obviously got her groove back after failing to finish her semifinals match with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova back in Strasbourg (clay court tournament) because of a back issue. Seeing Barty move well again is a big plus for anyone looking to join the Barty Party, as the 22-year-old Australian prepares for a match with legendary Serena Williams. Against Vikhlyantseva, Barty put 47 percent of his first serve in and won an astounding 83 percent of her first serve points. Barty is not walking into her showdown with Williams with zero first-hand experience of what it’s like to stand directly across the American superstar on the tennis court, as she’s faced Williams before, albeit in a 6-2, 6-1 loss in the first round of the 2014 Australian Open. That’s four years ago, meaning Williams is four years older since and Barty is, safe to assume, wiser and better overall.
