Madrid Open 2021: Venus Williams vs Jennifer Brady preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (11) Jennifer Brady vs Venus Williams

Date: 30 April 2021

Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open 2021

Round: First round (Round of 64)

Venue: Madrid, Spain

Category: WTA 1000

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: €2,549,105

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video

Venus Williams vs Jennifer Brady preview

Former finalist Venus Williams returns to the Mutua Mardird Open after a gap of three years for the 2021 edition, which is set to be begin on Thurdsay.

Williams, who reached the summit clash of the WTA 1000 event back in 2010, is set to open her campaign with a tricky first-round encounter against Australian Open finalist and 11th seed Jennifer Brady.

Jennifer Brady

Brady, on her part, is looking to rediscover her lost form for the last couple of months now. The American hasn't won a match since her incredible run to the Australian Open final, and will be hopeful of finally snapping her losing streak in Madrid.

She started her claycourt season with a straight-sets loss to Petra Kvitova at Stuttgart last week. The 26-year-old couldn't quite find her range in the face of immense pressure from the big-hitting Kvitova, and is likely to find herself playing a somewhat similar opponent in Williams.

Venus Williams vs Jennifer Brady head-to-head

Venus Williams will look to put her powerful groundstrokes to good use.

This is set to be the first career meeting between Venus Williams and Jennifer Brady, so their current head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.

Venus Williams vs Jennifer Brady prediction

This is a fairly well-balanced matchup. Both women have similarly well-rounded games, but have found themselves in the midst of a rough patch in recent weeks.

Venus Williams in particular has struggled to regain her consistency for a while now. The American hasn't won consecutive matches since her quarterfinal run at the Western & Southern Open in August last year. She has shown glimpses of her best tennis in a few tight matches, but inconsistent play and difficult draws have prevented her from breaking through.

In Jennifer Brady, Williams will likely face another uphill battle. The 40-year-old has an edge when it comes to variety, but she would have to find a way to stay on top of her game throughout the match.

Williams cannot afford to make too many mistakes in a match against Brady, who is too strong an opponent to let go of opportunities that are presented to her on a platter.

Prediction: Jennifer Brady to win in three sets.