Sloane Stephens of the USA, the world number 40, will play Leylah Annie Fernandez of Canada, ranked 89, in the first round of the 2021 Grampians Trophy in Melbourne on Wednesday, February 3, with the match likely to begin at around 2:30 pm local time (4 am BST). Get the live streaming options of this Sloane Stephens v Leylah Annie Fernandez match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Sloane Stephens v Leylah Annie Fernandez Head to Head
The pair have met twice before, both meetings coming last year. Fernandez shocked Stephens to win their Monterrey quarter-final in three sets, and repeated the feat post-lockdown in Lexington, on that occasion winning in straight sets.
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Stephens Hoping to Rediscover Long-Lost Form
The 2017 US Open Champion and beaten finalist in Paris the following year, Stephens has failed to reach those giddy heights since, and she has struggled for form and consistency since.
2020 was a particularly disappointing year for her, especially prior to lockdown, as she suffered a series of early embarrassing defeat to opponents ranked far below her. And, when she did reach the quarter-final of an event in Monterrey, she was stunned by Fernandez, who was barely known at that stage.
She did show some return to form at the US Open, where she got to the third round, and gave Serena Williams a tough match before bowing out.
First round defeats in Rome and Strasbourg followed and the last competitive event she played was the French Open. She was able to see of the challenge of the Russian Vitalia Diatchenko in the first round, only to lose to the Spaniard Paola Badosa in the second.
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Fernandez Hoping to Continue Rankings Rise
Two years ago, Fernandez reached the final of the Australian Open Girls’ Singles and a few months later was crowned Junior French Open Champion.
The following month she made her senior debut on the ITF tour in her native Canada in Gattineau.
However, 2020 was the year when she broke through on the senior tour. She made her Grand Slam debut in Melbourne, and, two months later, found herself in her first WTA final, eventually finishing runner-up in the Mexican Open to Heather Watson. She went on to reach the second round in the US Open and the third round in Paris.
Now she is hoping to continue her rapid progress up the world rankings in 2021.
Fernandez began her year in Abu Dhabi where she beat the Italian Jasmine Paolini in the first round, but then suffered defeat at the hands of Tamara Zidansek of Slovakia in the second.
Stephens v Fernandez Prediction and Tip
Although Stephens is the higher ranked and more experienced player, Fernandez appears to hold the Indian sign over her and is tipped to win yet again.
Tip: Fernandez to win: 11/15 (bet365)
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The 2021 WTA Grampians Trophy in Melbourne will be played from February 3. You can watch & bet on these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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