WTA US Open 2011 Preview: Sabine Lisicki vs. Irina Falconi

Sabine Lisicki had been scheduled to meet Venus Williams this week in the second round of the U.S Open, but she escaped the threat of the former world No. 1 as Venus was sadly forced to withdraw due to illness. The German will now be aiming to make the most of her opportunity to succeed here in Flushing Meadows, and there’s a good chance that she’ll feature in week 2.

Lisicki won the WTA Dallas title last week, and her displays throughout the season have been worthy of praise. She’s climbed the WTA rankings with little trouble, and demonstrated plenty of nerve in major competitions. The world No. 18 began here with an assured 6-3, 6-3 dismissal of Alona Bondarenko, and it will be fascinating to see just how far she can go.

The next matchup for Lisicki will be a third round showdown against Irina Falconi of America. Falconi is ranked just inside the top eighty, but might not be such an outsider with the backing of the home crowd on Friday. Even so, she’s got a mountain to climb here, and Lisicki should have enough firepower to leave the court as the victor.