Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the US Open match
Karolína Muchová
In August, Muchová played in only one hardcourt tournament. She reached the second round at the Cincinnati Masters, where she lost to the sixth seed, Jessica Pegula. Last year at the US Open, the Czech player reached the semi-finals but then suffered an injury. Recovery from wrist surgery took eight months, and her season effectively started in June. Karolína continues to find her form on hard courts, which was evident in the early matches where she struggled against the world No. 57, Katie Volynets, and the now off-form Naomi Osaka. Her match against Anastasia Potapova, however, showed improvement.
Jasmine Paolini
The Italian player is one of the biggest revelations of this WTA season. She has reached the finals of two Grand Slam tournaments, but until this year, the US Open had not been successful for her. Paolini had surpassed the first-round barrier only once in four attempts. Now she is already in the fourth round. She had some fortune in the second round when Karolina Pliskova was forced to retire after just three points due to a left ankle injury.
Karolína Muchová - Jasmine Paolini Prediction
The players have met three times before, with Muchova winning all three encounters. However, their last match was back in 2021, and Paolini is a different player now. Expect a battle in this match, even if it only goes two sets.
