This is the first career meeting between Americans Falconi and Williams. Falconi has enjoyed a career resurgence in 2015, reaching the third round of the French Open and climbing more than 40 spots in the rankings. Meanwhile, Williams has cooled off after an extremely strong start to the year, posting a 7-6 record since May.

Despite her struggles of late, this match will remain largely on Venus' racquet. Falconi is a defensive player who is more than willing to grind out victories, but she lacks the firepower to take initiative in hard-hitting rallies. Still, if Venus has an off night and is spraying errors, she's the last type of player that the two-time US Open champion will want to see. Falconi will also take heart in the fact that she scored the biggest win of her career in Arthur Ashe Stadium, when she beat then-world No. 14 Dominika Cibulkova in the second round in 2011.

Williams will look to get a high percentage of first serves in and keep the points short. She'll also need to remain patient as Falconi is likely to track down balls that would be winners against most opponents. Falconi's main objective will be to get off to a quick start in each set and assert herself in the match. If she allows Williams to gain early leads in the set, it could be a quick night for her.