Venus Williams managed to avoid a repeat of last year’s first-round exit at Roland Garros by beating the ever-resilient Anett Kontaveit on Tuesday, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4). Up next for Williams is a second-round date with fellow American Louis Chirico, whom she has yet to face throughout her entire career. Can the seven-time Grand Slam champion emerge victorious in this one? Or will Chirico pull of the upset?
Read on below for more about this match. And if you’re craving for some NBA Playoffs action as well, check out our preview of Game 5 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors. OKC currently leads that series, 3-1.
Venus Williams vs. Louisa Chirico Preview
Where: Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France
When: Wednesday, May 26, 2016, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Venus Williams (-155) vs. Louisa Chirico (+125) – view all French Open Women’s Singles lines
Betting on Venus Williams
Williams enters this match fresh off a gritty performance in the first round against Anett Kontaveit. The 35-year-old American needed nearly two hours get past the 82nd-ranked Estonian. In that bout, Williams delivered four aces, 24 winners and won 71 percent of her first serve points. She also powered her way towards the win through her aggressiveness and efficiency. Williams won 75 percent of her net points (9-of-12) and committed just 26 unforced errors.
However, it’ll be interesting to see how Williams will fare for the first time against a young and quicker player like Chirico, who currently ranks No. 78 in the WTA rankings.
Williams is only 3-2 in her previous five matches on clay.
Betting on Louisa Chirico
Louisa Chirico’s got to be in high spirits after winning her first ever match at Roland Garros on Tuesday. It was easier said than though, as she needed three sets to finally notch the victory over Lauren Davis. And now, Chirico has set herself up for an even tougher matchup against former World No. 1 Venus Williams.
Needless to say, experience is clearly the thing that Chirico’s really lacking here. But nevertheless, she should still be able to compete relatively well throughout the match. The 19-year-old American has surely gotten more accustomed to the conditions and red clay courts in Paris. Prior to her first round match, Chirico played three matches in the qualifiers, which included a pair of straight-sets victories over Tereza Martincova and Irina Khromacheva.
Also, Chirico can be very unpredictable, and her surprising finish at this year’s Madrid Masters is a proof of that. In that tournament, she defeated the likes of Victoria Azarenka and Ana Ivanovic before eventually losing in the semifinals against Dominika Cibulkova, 6-1, 6-1.
Chirico is 5-2 in her previous seven matches.
Writer’s Prediction
Chirico puts up a good fight, but Williams (-155) pulls through down the stretch to win it, 7-6 (4), 6-4.
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