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Match Details
Fixture: (10) Karolina Muchova vs [WC] Storm Hunter
Tournament: US Open 2023
Round: First Round (Round of 128)
Venue: New York, USA
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $65,000,000
Live telecast: USA: ESPN | UK: Sky Sports | Australia: Nine Network | Canada: TSN | India & South Asia: Sony Sports Network
Karolina Muchova vs Storm Hunter preview
10th seed Karolina Muchova will take on wildcard Storm Hunter for a place in the second round of the 2023 US Open.
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Muchova has had a career-best season in 2023, accumulating a 33-12 win-loss record on the Hologic WTA tour.
The Czech has had a complete reversal in her fortunes over the last year; several injuries forced her to take a hiatus in 2022, which caused her ranking to dip well outside of the top 100.
Muchova, who had previously reached the semifinals of the 2021 Australian Open, didn't give up in spite of these unfortunate circumstances.
Her resilience paid off soon, as she beat the likes of Aryna Sabalenka and Maria Sakkari en route to a runner-up finish to Iga Swiatek at the 2023 French Open.
The 27-year-old then had a quiet patch up until last week's Cincinnati Open, where she again defeated Sabalenka en route to the finals. She was denied once again, though, losing to Coco Gauff without much of a fight.
Her opponent, Storm Hunter, meanwhile, is primarily known for her exploits in doubles. The Aussie won the mixed doubles event at last year's US Open partnering John Peers and also finished as the runners-up at 2023 Wimbledon with doubles veteran Elise Mertens.
Hunter, however, has been trying to earn some success in women's singles in 2023. While the 29-year-old mostly plies her trade on the WTA Challenger tour, she can take pride in having qualified for this year's singles events at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Notably, she led Elina Svitolina by a set during their second-round encounter in Paris before eventually losing the match in three comprehensive sets.
Karolina Muchova vs Storm Hunter head-to-head
The first-round match at the 2023 US Open will be the first-ever career meeting between Muchova and Hunter on the pro tour, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Karolina Muchova vs Storm Hunter odds
(The odds will be updated when they release).
Karolina Muchova vs Storm Hunter prediction
Muchova possesses some of the smoothest groundstrokes on the Hologic WTA tour. She also has a brilliant slice, which comes in handy in controlling the tempo of the game.
The Czech's biggest weapon is her inside-out forehand, though. She can hit both flat and top-spin on that wing to stretch her opponent outside of the court.
Hunter, meanwhile, is a neutral baseliner and uses her left-handed forehand to create angles on the court. Having said that, while the Aussie is capable of hitting fast strokes to disrupt her opponents' rhythm, she has trouble generating enough depth.
Muchova, for her part, has some neat footwork and can move around her backhand to swat forehand winners with ease.
The World No. 10 is likely to dominate Hunter in their first-round encounter if the latter is not able to impart enough power and depth to her shots.
Pick: Karolina Muchova in straight sets.
