Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Cincinnati match.
Elise Mertens (No. 22 WTA) came within a whisker of a shock early elimination in round one, narrowly avoiding defeat to Clervie Ngounoue (3:6, 7:6, 7:5), who sits outside the top 200. Now she faces an opponent of a completely different calibre, meaning she’ll need to tidy up her game fast.
Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina (No. 10 WTA) was one step away from the final in Montreal but fell in a deciding-set tie-break (6:1, 5:7, 6:7) to Victoria Mboko (No. 24 WTA), who went on to lift the trophy. Her Cincinnati opener was also shaky, as she dropped a set to Renata Zarazúa (No. 70 WTA) before edging through 4:6, 6:0, 7:5. One clear takeaway — the Kazakh star has been far from her best on hard courts lately.
Elise Mertens
Mertens’ own hard-court form has been patchy, but she does possess a genuine weapon — her serve. Against Clervie Ngounoue she fired down 10 aces and landed 78% of first serves, a stat that more than makes up for her occasional defensive lapses. That kind of clean hitting can trouble even the very best.
Elena Rybakina vs Elise Mertens Prediction
Rybakina is the clear favourite on paper, but Mertens’ aggressive shot-making gives her a real chance of taking a set off anyone. This could be tighter than the odds suggest.
