US Open 2021: Iga Swiatek vs Anett Kontaveit preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (7) Iga Swiatek vs Anett Kontaveit

Date: 4 September 2021

Tournament: US Open 2021

Round: Third round (Round of 32)

Venue: New York, United States

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $40,560,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP

Iga Swiatek vs Anett Kontaveit preview

Iga Swiatek and Anett Kontaveit will lock horns in a third-round encounter at the 2021 US Open on Saturday, in a repeat of their matchup at the same stage in Paris earlier this year.

Swiatek staged a brilliant turnaround in her second-round encounter against Fiona Ferro on Thursday. The seventh seed came back from a set and a break down to eventually prevail 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-0 after two hours of play.

Anett Kontaveit has been dominant in her wins.

Kontaveit, on the other hand, has been absolutely dominant so far this week. She has only dropped eight games en route to wins over Samantha Stosur and Jil Teichmann, and is yet to concede a break of serve.

Kontaveit is now just one win away from equalling her career-best showing at Flushing Meadows. Playing against Swiatek on Saturday, she will also have the extra motivation to avenge her loss from Paris.

Iga Swiatek vs Anett Kontaveit head-to-head

Anett Kontaveit leads Iga Swiatek in their current head-to-head with a slender 2-1 margin. The Estonian had taken the duo's first two meetings, but the Pole was able to pull one back this year.

Iga Swiatek vs Anett Kontaveit prediction

Iga Swiatek conceded an uncharacteristically high number of forehand errors in the 2nd round

Despite making a strong start to her campaign against Jamie Loeb in the first round, Iga Swiatek hasn't looked entirely comfortable playing on the hardcourts here.

The seventh seed struggled to find her range on her groundstrokes in the face on consistent hitting from Ferro on Thursday. She conceded quite a few unforced errors - especially off the forehand wing - during the middle stages of the match.

Swiatek could face a similar problem against Anett Konatveit, who possesses a strong baseline-oriented game that is not much different from Ferro's.

Kontaveit, in fact, is likely to step out with an even more aggressive intent on Saturday, and the onus will be on the Pole to find a way to adapt. Swiatek was able to find answers to Kontaveit's game on the claycourts of Roland Garros, but it could be slightly more tricky in the quicker New York conditions.

A good start will be key for the 20-year-old as she plays a lot better when not feeling too much pressure, as was evident in the match against Ferro. Swiatek raced to a 6-0 deciding set after pocketing an intense tiebreaker in the second.

Kontaveit will not go down without a fight, but if Swiatek can hold her nerve at the crucial junctures, she should be able to come out on top in the end.

Prediction: Iga Swiatek to win in three sets.