US Open 2023: Karolina Muchova vs Taylor Townsend preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (10) Karolina Muchova vs Taylor Townsend
Date: September 1, 2023
Tournament: US Open 2023
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
Venue: New York, United States
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $65,000,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | Canada - TSN | UK - Sky Sports | India - Sony Sports
Karolina Muchova vs Taylor Townsend preview
2023 French Open runner-up Karolina Muchova will take on Taylor Townsend in the third round of the 2023 US Open on Friday.
Muchova scored a 6-4, 6-0 win over Storm Hunter to go through to the second round, where Magdalena Frech awaited her. The Czech snagged an early break to serve in the first set to build up a 4-1 lead. She remained in front until the end of the set to clinch it.
Muchova broke Frech's serve to start the second set and consolidated her advantage with a hold of serve to make it 2-0. The Czech broke her opponent's serve once again in the final game of the match to wrap up a 6-3, 6-3 win.
Townsend defeated Varvara Gracehva 6-4, 6-2 to set up a second round date against 19th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia. Both players were quite steady on their serves in the first set, though the American did hold a couple of set points on her opponent's serve at 6-5.
Though Townsend failed to capitalize on her initial opportunities, she did come out on top in the ensuing tie-break to take the lead in the match. She struck first in the second set as well to lead 3-1, but Haddad Maia eventually managed to get back on serve.
Townsend secured the decisive break in the 11th game of the set to go 6-5 up. She then served out the match with ease to win 7-6 (1), 7-5 and reach the third round of a Major in singles for the first time this season.
Karolina Muchova vs Taylor Townsend head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between the two, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Karolina Muchova vs Taylor Townsend odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Karolina Muchova vs Taylor Townsend prediction
Muchova had a relatively easier time against Frech, while Townsend had to work for her win against Haddad Maia. The Czech didn't even face a single break point the entire match and struck 24 winners against 16 unforced errors.
Townsend's error count was slightly higher than the number of winners she hit, but she still played a great match. She frequently came forward to the net to finish off points and the strategy was quite successful as she won 27/36 of those approaches.
Both players don't only rely on gaining the upper hand in rallies through sheer power from the baseline. Instead, they like to mix up their shots to keep their opponents guessing. With the duo preferring a cat and mouse approach to their game, it'll be interesting to see who manages to outfox the other.
Townsend is no pushover and can certainly send another higher-ranked player packing. However, based on how they've played this season, Muchova will be favored to come out on top in this encounter.
Pick: Karolina Muchova to win in three sets.