After what has been a pretty disappointing 2016, Roberta Vinci will be looking to regain some of the form that saw her reach the US Open final last year as she starts her campaign in New York. However, she will find most likely find it extremely tough against Anna-Lena Friedsam; someone who has already beaten the Italian this year.

This is the opening match on the Arthur Ashe Stadium, starting at 11:00 Eastern Time and the winner will face Christina McHale or Mona Barthel in the second round.

US Open preparation

Vinci has played at four tournaments in the run up to the final Grand Slam of the year, though her build-up was not much of a success. At the Rogers Cup, she beat Camila Giorgi in the first round before falling to Daria Kasatkina, and she then fell to Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the opening round of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Then, in Cincinnati, she fell to Carla Suarez Navarro after beating Tsvetana Pironkova and then lost to Johanna Larsson in New Haven after beating Ana Konjuh.

Roberta Vinci in action during the Connecticut Open in New Haven (Getty/Alex Goodlett)
Roberta Vinci in action during the Connecticut Open in New Haven (Getty/Alex Goodlett)

However, whilst Vinci’s preparation has not been ideal, she has had at least had a reasonable amount of match time compared to Friedsam. The German, now inside the top 50, went over a month after Wimbledon without playing, and then lost to Lesia Tsurenko in the opening round of qualifying in New Haven.

Analysis

The biggest issue for Vinci is that whilst her game is unique and can be tricky, it is attackable, and Friedsam does have the weapons to do this effectively; to combat this, the Italian must look to defend well and try to frustrate Friedsam. Furthermore, Vinci must look to serve well, as this will mean she will be able to take control of some points early, whilst she should also look to be moving extremely well, as this could force the German into making mistakes.

Friedsam is certainly the more aggressive of the two and should be able to dictate play on many opportunities; however, she must not make too many errors, and must try to break down Vinci’s defense without putting herself in a dangerous position. She should also look to serve well, as this will regularly put her in control of the points, whilst she should also look to try and force the Italian into making mistakes by sticking with her game and slowly decreasing the effect of Vinci’s slices.

Anna-Lena Friedsam must be aggressive in this match up (AFP/Justin Tallis)
Anna-Lena Friedsam must be aggressive in this match up (AFP/Justin Tallis)
1

Head to Head

In their only previous meeting, Friedsam survived a first-set bagel to stun Vinci 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the third round of the Australian Open earlier this year; the German may be confident coming into this because of that lone result.

Assessment

This could be a very interesting match to watch, with two players of contrasting styles facing off. Vinci could be confident coming into a place of past success, though it seems that Friedsam, with her power, could edge this.

Prediction: Anna-Lena Friedsam in three sets

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Oliver Dickson Jefford
20. English Literature student at the University of Southampton. Aspiring sports journalist from Hertfordshire.