Competitive Qualifier

Aussie has enough to make this match entertaining

A lot to look at in this match and it's one that should be more entertaining than your typical night match on a show court featuring a high seed this early on in the fortnight.

First things first, let's get the obvious out of the way. Paolini is the obvious favourite. Very consistent, having a tremendous two years and coming off a very strong performance in Cincinnati. She's the clear favourite and will very likely win this match. Very consistent for the duration of her career from the baseline, but has added a significant amount of offense to her game, particularly on the forehand side.

I do think her game is a little less dominant than most though and as such, she's more prone to upsets than the bigger hitters and more assertive players among the world's top-10 (similar to Coco Gauff).

On the other side of the net, we find Destanee Aiava, who has potential in abundance, but has consistently failed to live up to said ability. Aggressive game, plenty of ability to dictate play and a decent serve. It's why she came through qualifying and did so as a large underdog in two of her three matches.

That's the head scratching part of her game. There's no doubt that she can be competitive, but when simply looking at her CV, there are so many losses at lower tier events to less-than-stellar opposition and many in lopsided fashion.

If ever looking to back the Australian, it almost has to be as an underdog. Do I think this one could be close more often than the market believes? Yes. Will you find me running to bet on her in this one? No.