Serena Williams played very badly in the first set of the match against Yulia Putintseva. The opponents got into a tie-break, but then Serena improved and had no troubles after that. This is her first tournament after the Australian Open. She’s defeated Laura Siegemund and Putintseva here.
Katya Bondarenko came through the qualifications. And she has played some incredible matches here. Bondarenko’s match against compatriot Tsurenko was a real drama, ending with Katerina’s 9:7 win on a tie-break in the third set.
As for her match against Serena, the Ukrainian has a weak serve, it will be easy for Williams to receive the serve and immediately attack. Bondarenko will be fatigued after hard matches. She played against Tsurenko in the heat, she had seizures. And despite the excellent form, Bondarenko will not be able to compete with Williams. I suppose that the match will see under 18 games.