Ukrainian No. 1 Elina Svitolina will meet the Belgian player Elise Mertens in the second round of the 2019 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Wednesday. The match will take place on August 14 and the timings will be announced soon. Get Elina Svitolina v Elise Mertens live streaming options with the preview here.
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Elina Svitolina v Elise Mertens Head to Head
Svitolina holds a 2-1 lead over Mertens, last defeating her in the Rogers Cup last season in straight sets.
Svitolina in a Shaky Form
Elina started the 2019 WTA season on a terrific note with back to back, consistent runs in some big ticket events like the Australian Open, WTA Dubai, Qatar Open, and the Indian Wells Open. However, as the year went by, her form took a slight hit.
Of course, a big part of it can be attributed to her lingering knee problem but even after getting back in action, things haven’t quite gone according to the plan for the number seven seed.
She had a breakthrough run at the Wimbledon where she reached the semifinal but then, that was it. In Eastbourne and Birmingham, she fell quite early while San Jose and Toronto, she succumbed to the likes of Maria Sakkari and Sofia Kenin.
Even though she is a strong contender for the US Open title, she will be eager to get some solid momentum before heading to the Flushing Meadows. The stats, as of now, stand at 22-14 and a majority of those 14 losses came in the second half of the season.
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Mertens, Seeking some Comfort
Around the same time last season, Mertens was quite close to an entry into the top 10. However, her form has taken a sharp toll since then and consequently, she is World No. 23 at the moment.
Despite making great strides on the doubles circuit, the Belgian player hasn’t been quite able to replicate the same form on the singles circuit. Except for her winning run in Doha, where she defeated the likes of Kiki Bertens, Angelique Kerber, and Simona Halep, Mertens hasn’t delivered a lot.
However, this rocky form is no indicator of her tennis prowess. If her form and career so far have shown anything, it’s that she is more than capable of defeating top players.
In Cincinnati, she started her campaign with a clinical, straight-set win over Catherine McNally. Now, she will look to better her result from last week in the Rogers Cup, where she fell to Serena Williams in the second round.
Svitolina v Mertens Prediction & Tips
We can expect this match to go into three sets. Mertens is a fierce opponent with a lot of experience under her belt. Svitolina, on the other hand, is a staunch adversary as well. Neither of them will go down without a fight, especially Mertens, who will be eager to avoid yet another defeat to the Ukrainian.
Tip: Three sets in the match: 37/25 (888Sport)
The Svitolina v Mertens match can be watched live with Unibet here on Wednesday, August 14, 2019. Also, get the latest tennis tips and predictions here.
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