Cincinnati Open 2024: Iga Swiatek vs Varvara Gracheva preview, head-to-head, prediction, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Iga Swiatek vs Varvara Gracheva
Date: 14 August 2024
Tournament: Western & Southern Open
Round: Second Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Lindner Family Tennis Center, Mason, Ohio, US
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $6,795,555
Live Telecast: US - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Iga Swiatek vs Varvara Gracheva preview
Top seed Iga Swiatek will take on Varvara Gracheva in the second round of the Cincinnati Open.
Swiatek is the player to beat on the women's tour. After a slow start to the season, the Pole found her rhythm by capturing titles in Doha and Indian Wells. She then continued her purple patch by winning the Madrid Open, Italian Open and the 2024 French Open. Swiatek outfoxed Jasmine Paolini in straight sets to lift her fourth title in the last five years at Roland Garros.
The 23-year-old will enter Cincinnati on the back of a bronze medal finish in the Paris Olympics. She defeated the likes of Danielle Collins and Wang Xiyu en route to the semifinals where she was beaten by Zheng Qinwen. The Chinese No. 1 defeated Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 in a gripping match.
Swiatek then defeated Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the bronze medal match at the Games.
Varvara Gracheva, meanwhile, has had an average season so far. Her best results so far have been a quarterfinal run in the ASB Classic and a fourth round appearance at the French Open. Gracheva defeated the likes of Maria Sakkari, Bernarda Pera and Irina Camelia Begu en route to the last 16 but came up shy against Mirra Andreeva in Paris.
Gracheva entered Cincinnati on the back of a first round exit in the Paris Olympics. She entered the main draw via the qualifiers and then edged past Ajla Tomljanovic in the first round. Gracheva outlasted the Australian in two hours and 25 minutes, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(5).
Iga Swiatek vs Varvara Gracheva head-to-head
Swiatek leads the head-to-head against Gracheva 1-0. The Pole defeated her at the 2023 China Open in Beijing.
Iga Swiatek vs Varvara Gracheva odds
Odds will be updated when available.
Iga Swiatek vs Varvara Gracheva prediction
Iga Swiatek will be keen to set the tone early in Cincinnati and begin her campaign with a solid win. After claiming the US Open in 2022, she only managed to reach the fourth round in 2023. The Pole will be eager to prepare well in the next two weeks for Flushing Meadows.
Gracheva, on the contrary, has been exceptional in Cincinnati so far. She cruised past the qualifiers and then showed her resilience against Tomljanovic in the first round. The 24-year-old saved nine break points in her previous match and won 60% of her first serve points.
Gracheva will enter the tie high on confidence with three wins on the trot. However, Swiatek's clinical all-around game and effortless movement might cause problems for the French challenger. The top seed should be able to stamp her authority in this bout.
Pick: Swiatek to win in straight sets.