With the successful completion of the Mutua Madrid Open 2021, it’s now time for the Italian Open 2021. The tournament will kick off from tomorrow, and fans will get to witness some exciting matches right from the beginning. In the first round itself, World No.9 Karolina Pliskova will face the seven-time Grand Slam champion, Venus Williams.

Venus Williams recently withdrew from the tournament. As a result, a lucky loser will face Pliskova in the first round of the Italian Open 2021.

Karolina Pliskova v Venus Williams: Preview

Karolina Pliskova didn’t have a good run at the Mutua Madrid Open 2021. She lost to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the second round of the tournament in straight sets. Interestingly, Anastasia even bageled her in the first set. Pliskova didn’t look in control of her shots and hit the net too often.

Venus Williams, on the other hand, got eliminated in the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open 2021 after losing to fellow American Jennifer Brady in straights sets. She faced some issues with her fitness during the match and hasn’t had a good season on clay so far.

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While Venus has still got that powerful forehand, Pliskova will largely rely on her high serve. The Czech player will like to target Williams on her backhand and can also stun her with her amazing drop shots.

Karolina Pliskova v Venus Williams: Head-to-Head

The two players have faced each other three times in the careers so far. World No.9 Pliskova leads the head-to-head battle 2-1 right now, with Pliskova thrashing Williams in straight sets during their last encounter at the WTA Championships 2017.

Interestingly, this will be the first time when these two players will meet on clay. While Pliskova will want to extend her dominance over Williams, Venus will surely like to settle her scores with the Czech player.

Pliskova v Williams: Prediction

Even though Venus Williams is a super athlete, age is a big obstacle for her right now. She is 40 at the moment and thus, it is difficult for her to cover the court quickly. As a result, Pliskova will start as the favorite before the match and it’ll not be astonishing if she goes on to beat Venus in straight sets.

However, the seven-time Grand Slam champ, too, can turn the tables around if she manages to return Pliskova’s serves effectively. Fans are definitely excited about the upcoming clash and expect it to be a blockbuster.

Will Venus be able to beat the odds and succeed at the Italian Open this year?

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