WTA Finals 2022: Ons Jabeur vs Aryna Sabalenka preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: Ons Jabeur vs Aryna Sabalenka
Date: TBD
Tournament: WTA Finals 2022
Round: Round robin
Venue: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, United States
Category: Year-ending championships.
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $5,000,000
Live telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video
Ons Jabeur vs Aryna Sabalenka preview
Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka will open their WTA Finals campaign with a blockbuster round-robin match against each other at Fort Worth.
Jabuer, the top seed in the Nancy Richey group, comes into the tournament having played just one tournament since her run to the US Open final — where she went down against Iga Swiatek. The Tunisian made the quarterfinals at her home event in Tunisia before suffering a surprise loss to Claire Liu. The loss was Jabuer's 15th against 46 wins for the season.
Sabalenka, meanwhile, has made early exits at both her stops since New York — going down against Donna Vekic in the San Diego quarterfinals before losing to Liudmila Samsonova in the opening round at Guadalajara.
The Belarsuian, who is set to contest in her second consecutive WTA Finals, will be looking to start afresh here in Fort Worth.
Ons Jabeur vs Aryna Sabalenka head-to-head
Aryna Sabaklenka leads Ons Jabeur in their current head-to-head by a slender 2-1 margin. The Belaruisan has taken the duo's last two meetings, both of which took place in 2021.
Ons Jabeur vs Aryna Sabalenka odds
(Odds will be updated soon)
Ons Jabeur vs Aryna Sabalenka prediction
Jabeur missed out on making her debut at the WTA Finals last year, after having come agonizingly close. But as the tour's second-most successful player this year, she will be one of the favorites to walk away with the trophy here.
The Tunisian has improved leaps and bounds over the past year. An improved backhand and serve have been key to her success this season, but Jabeur's true strength continues to lie in her variety.
Against a big striker in the form of Sabalenka, the World No. 2 will rely on her ability to mix up her shots to keep her opponent from settling into a rhythm.
For Sabalenka, finding her rhythm on serve will be key. The Belarusian has struggled with double faults throughout the season, and while she has been able to stay afloat given her baseline prowess, her serve will need to fire against a player of Jabeur's class.
Sabalenka might require a match or two to fine tune her game, whereas Jabeur, if she can resist overplaying her dropshots, comes across as the more assured player heading into the contest. Expect Jabeur to eke out a win.
Pick: Jabeur in three sets