Iga Swiatek vs Kamilla Rakhimova Prediction: Easy opener for the world number 1

The world's number one player against a young hopeful from Russia: this shall be no less than the main event in the US Open Round of 128. Of consequence herein, it is a contrast in styles of a top player who holds complete sway over the court, under his shoe rule, against the much humbler placed opponent, who shall make all the noise.

Swiatek has been in incredible form all this year, winning the most significant sorts of events, including Grand Slam events and WTA 1000 tournaments. She plays very aggressively from the baseline, hitting powerful groundstrokes and with a very good success rate on breakpoints.

An aggressive baseline game will be witnessed, where Swiatek has to dominate the rallies, and Rakhimova is set onto the back foot from the very start. She has used her serve as an ally by winning 73% of the points on her first serve, which may stand her in good stead to establish short points and keep the opponent under pressure.

Rakhimova, with so far a near even win-loss season, has shown tenacity—especially in the close matches—and her inconsistency, particularly in the big matches where the level of the opponent shall guarantee ranking points, is a limitation factor. Her major strength has been the service games, in which she has a more-than-respectable 47.1% break point conversion rate, but she often cannot do that while maintaining intensity throughout the match.

She will have to look to maintain a high first-serve percentage and open up with her forehand. It's going to be to bring her best defense and look for opportunities to possibly change Swiatek's rhythm with dropped shots and changes of pace.

Swiatek is hugely favored by form and the statistical advantages to win through. Her chances of failing can be quite low, considering her superior performance on hard courts and her ability to maintain intensity in matches.

Swiatek's repeated lordship over identical opponents and the difference in fightership should categorize her as the favorite moving through into the next round; however, Rakhimova will have to bring in her very best to trouble the world number one, hence an onerous task for the Russian player.

• Under 17.5 Games at 1.6 Odds
• Under 16.5 Games at 2.02 Odds
• First Set Over 8.5 Games at 2.10 Odds