TipResumen

PREVIEW

It hasn't been that long since both Caroline Garcia and Johanna Konta were top 20 Ranked players, but the British player has had a difficult 2018. That has seen her slip down the World Rankings to a point where she has not been Seeded at the US Open and thus been given a tough First Round assignment that neither player would have wanted. It is quite easily the best looking match in the First Round of the women's draw and I think the layers are finding it difficult to split the players because of the erratic nature of both. On the face of things I would have given the edge to Johanna Konta who has some decent hard court numbers but who has suffered some unfortunate losses. However there is a real feeling that Konta may not be completely healthy going into the tournament in New York and that is where Garcia could edge out an opponent who has proved to be very closely matched to the Frenchwoman from their previous meetings. The health issues could be the factor that swings things towards Garcia even though she has not been at her best in the last couple of weeks on the hard courts. A decent run in Montreal has been followed by disappointing ones in Cincinnati and New Haven, but Garcia has a serve that can match Konta's and I do think her overall form over the last month looks superior to the British player's form. Konta has proved to be a decent returner on the hard courts, but her service numbers are slightly down on 2017 and I do think Garcia can get the better of her. I have been a critic of Garcia's return game as that is the main reason she has not been able to make a big impact at Grand Slams in the past, but she did beat Konta on the hard courts in 2017 when the latter was playing at a higher level than she is producing at the moment. Don't be surprised if a deciding set is required, but the conditions in New York are very tough if someone is not feeling at 100% and I think that factors into the Johanna Konta defeat in the First Round.



PREDICTION

It looks a really close match but Caroline Garcia is healthier than Johanna Konta and won the last time these two played on the hard courts.