World number 29 Elise Mertens faces the 35th-ranked Marie Bouzkova in the second round of the 2023 WTA Cincinnati Open on Tuesday, August 15. Get the predictions and odds of this Elise Mertens v Marie Bouzkova match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Elise Mertens v Marie Bouzkova Head to Head
Their only previous meeting came on the ITF circuit in 2015 and Bouzkova had won it easily. They were to play in the 2022 French Open as well but Bouzkova withdrew from that encounter.
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Mertens Shocks Keys
Madison Keys had withdrawn from her second round match at the Canadian Open because of fitness concerns and that’s where Mertens knew she could look to take advantage.
That was exactly what Mertens did in her opener despite starting out a 19/10 underdog against Keys.
Mertens did need three sets and two hours and eight minutes but she managed to stall three-match losing streak with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win over her American opponent.
A former two-time quarterfinalist at the Cincinnati Open, Mertens was broken a whopping five times in the match including late in the third set but by then she had already clinched a 5-1 lead in the set.
What Mertens will now hope is for her to use this momentum against a player who is coming off a confidence-boosting couple of weeks in the North American hardcourt swing.
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Bouzkova Routs Begu
Bouzkova had entered this tournament on the back of a solid third round showing at the Canadian Open last week. What was so enthralling about that performance was Bouzkova’s win over a top-10 player like Caroline Garcia in the second round there.
She might have gone down to Daria Kasatkina in the third but that did not deter Bouzkova from continuing to smash her way to another easy win.
The world number 35 was on court for a mere hour and 25 minutes as she routed Irina Begu 6-2, 6-2 to seal her second round berth for the second year running in Cincinnati.
While Bouzkova did lose her serve once in the first set and twice in the second, she was rarely in the danger of getting pushed to a corner by her 39th-ranked opponent. And while she now faces a player ranked slightly higher than her, as far as form and confidence goes, she will hold the trump card.
Mertens v Bouzkova Prediction and Tip
We will have to back Bouzkova for the win here given the kind of form both these players have shown. At 8/11, a Bouzkova win looks like a tempting option too.
Tips:
- Low Risk Tip: Bouzkova to win: 8/11
The 2023 WTA Cincinnati Open will be played from August 13 to 20. You can get all the tennis betting news with our tennis betting blog here. Also get rest of the tennis match previews here.
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