World number 29 Elise Mertens faces the Canadian challenge of the 79th-ranked Rebecca Marino in the second round of the 2023 WTA Madrid Open on Thursday, April 27. Get the predictions and odds of this Elise Mertens v Rebecca Marino match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
Looking to Bet on the 2023 WTA Madrid Open live online?
- For tennis fans in the Europe & elsewhere go to bet365 > Tennis > here to bet on the ATP & WTA tennis live.
- Other Madrid Open match previews & predictions options here
[the_ad id=”43630″]
Elise Mertens v Rebecca Marino Head to Head
Mertens and Marino will be facing off for the first time in their career.
Also Read:
Mertens Hoping to Shrug off Bogota Show
In what was her first match on clay for this season, Mertens was stunned by Mirjam Bjorklund in the first round of the Bogota Open earlier this month.
She looked to have things under control in that encounter when she won the first set 6-1 but a sudden change in momentum saw her Swede opponent level things out. In the decider that followed, Mertens then fell in a tie-breaker.
Clay hasn’t quite been Mertens’ go to surface anyway as can be seen from her recent years’ performances. Sure, she has made it to five WTA finals on this surface in her career but in comparison with hardcourt surfaces, it’s not given her her best results.
What Mertens could take from her performances last season though is she had also started things off with a first round loss in Istanbul. She followed it up with a quarterfinal at Strasbourg and then a fourth round appearance at the French Open.
Mertens will hope she can repeat the same here as well.
[the_ad id=”30513″]
Marino Edges Past Zhu
Lin Zhu is a solid player and we might see her break into the top 20 at some point soon but on clay she is yet to find her footing. Which is why despite being ranked 40 places ahead of Marino, Zhu had come into their first round encounter at 1/1 odds to win it.
And surely enough it turned out to be a tight contest for most part before Marino found a way to get past Zhu in straight sets and seal her first win of the season on clay.
Marino won 7-6 (1), 6-4 in an hour and 44 minutes, shrugging off two breaks of serves in the first set in the process. At one point, Zhu served for the opening set at 6-5 but was broken to love by the Canadian before Marino grabbed the lead in the ensuing tie-breaker.
In the second, Marino saved two break-points in the second game and three more in the fourth before obtaining a decisive break in the seventh. That was all she needed before closing things out.
Can she now test Mertens?
Mertens v Marino Prediction and Tip
While Mertens isn’t the biggest fan of playing on clay, she should have this one under control as she looks to march into the third round.
Tips:
- Low Risk Tip: Mertens to win: 4/11 (Click Here to Bet with bet365)
- Moderate Risk Tip: Mertens to win in straight sets: 1/1 (Click Here to Bet with bet365)
[the_ad id=”30513″]
The 2023 WTA Madrid Open will be played from April 26 to May 7. You can get all the tennis betting news with our tennis betting blog here. Also get rest of the tennis match previews here.
Be the first to comment