Svetlana Kuznetsova – Francesca Schiavone
For the 16th time in their careers, Former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova will play her Italian nemesis Francesca Schiavone. The 13-year rivalry between the two has been a record-breaking one. At the 2011 Australian Open Schiavone required a record four hours and 44 minutes to defeat her rival. She also required three hours and 50 minutes to defeat the Russian at the 2015 French Open.
It is almost expected that the upcoming clash between these two veterans of the tour should be one of the most epic in the first round of the tournament. Kuznetsova currently leads the head-to-head 9-6, however, Schiavone won their most recent meeting.
Kuznetsova is without a doubt the favourite to win in New York after reaching the quarter-finals in Cincinnati and Montreal. Meanwhile, 36-year-old Schiavone is currently ranked 96th in the world and hasn’t broken the top 50 since April 2014. It is for this reason why Kuznetsova is expected to triumph once again in their rivalry.
