Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Madrid match.
Aryna Sabalenka spent exactly two hours on court during her match against Elise Mertens. Despite the lengthy encounter, Payton Stearns is not regarded as a serious threat in their upcoming clash.
Aryna Sabalenka
The Belgian player fell to the Belarusian in three sets (3:6, 6:2, 6:1). Sabalenka did not entirely look at her best, dropping two service games and, at times, allowing Elise Mertens to dictate play rather easily. Nevertheless, the final scoreline highlighted her ability to regain control and ultimately overpower the 28th seed. Overall, Sabalenka won nearly 20 more points than her opponent (86–67). Only Jelena Ostapenko has managed to beat her recently, doing so in the Stuttgart final. In her other nine most recent matches, Sabalenka did not lose a single set.
Payton Stearns
Stearns, meanwhile, has already been through two gruelling three-set matches in Madrid. First, the American spent almost two and a half hours overcoming world No. 61 Kimberly Birrell (5:7, 6:3, 6:4). She then faced fellow American Amanda Anisimova, prevailing after two hours and 15 minutes (6:2, 2:6, 7:5). It is worth noting that Anisimova held a higher ranking at the time — 16th compared to Stearns' 44th. It was only in the third round that Payton had a more comfortable outing, facing world No. 153 Rebeka Masarova, whom she dispatched in just 14 games (6:2, 6:0) in just over an hour (1:05).
Aryna Sabalenka vs Payton Stearns Prediction
We anticipate that Payton Stearns could meet a similar outcome to Rebeka Masarova. Aryna Sabalenka has points to defend from her runner-up finish last year, and an early elimination at the round of 16 is certainly not part of her plans. She is expected to take command early and wrap up the match efficiently, and as such, we are backing her to win in straight sets.
