Defending champion Serena Williams barged into the fourth round of the 2016 French Open with a grueling straight-sets victory over Kristina Mladenovic on Saturday. The world no. 1 will look to continue her excellent form when she locks horns with Elina Svitolina in an intriguing round-of-16 clash this coming Monday.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this blockbuster matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the fourth-round match between Novak Djokovic and Roberto Bautista Agut.
Serena Williams’ bid for a fourth French Open crown remains right on track after recording a tough 6-4, 7-6 (10) win over Kristina Mladenovic in the third round on Saturday. It was a gritty performance by the world no. 1 who needed two hours and 11 minutes to record the marathon victory. With the win, Williams booked a place in the fourth round at Roland Garros for the 11th time in her career.
Williams, who recorded her first career victory against Mladenovic, blasted 27 winners and won 72 percent of her first serve points. What proved to be the difference in the match, however, was Serena’s aggressive play. She won 15 of her 25 net points against Mladenovic. Next up for Williams is a round-of-16 clash with Elina Svitolina. The 34-year-old will fancy her chances against the 18th-seeded Ukrainian as she has won all of her three previous matches against Svitolina. Williams won their most recent meeting in the semifinals of the Cincinnati Masters last year, 6-4, 6-3.
For Williams to extend her dominance against Svitolina, she needs to improve on her play on the receiving end. She converted just one of her 12 break point chances against Mladenovic in the third round. Williams has converted just 37 percent of her break point opportunities in this tournament thus far.
Elina Svitolina stormed into the fourth round of the French Open with a convincing 6-4, 6-4 win over Ana Ivanovic on Saturday. It was a remarkable performance from the 21-year-old who needed one hour and 19 minutes to produce the straight-sets win. It was Svitolina’s first win against Ivanovic in eight career meetings. With the victory, Svitolina is through to the round of 16 at Roland Garros for the second consecutive year.
Things are bound to get tougher, though, for Svitolina as standing in her way in the next round is 21-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams. For Svitolina to record a major shock against Williams, the Ukrainian needs to improve on her first serve percentage. Svitolina won just 57 percent of her first serve points against Ivanovic. That simply won’t do against a world-class player like Williams who is currently in the midst of a 10-match winning streak here at Roland Garros.
Apart from polishing her serve, Svitolina also needs to continue her highly-efficient play. She committed just 13 unforced errors in the win against Ivanovic. Svitolina also uncorked 21 winners in that third-round match. She has recorded an average of 21.3 winners in this tournament thus far.
Svitolina is 6-4 in her last 10 matches.
Writer’s Prediction
Williams (-1,000) defeats Svitolina in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
