Australian Open 2021: Jennifer Brady vs Madison Brengle preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Jennifer Brady vs Madison Brengle
Date: 11 February 2021
Tournament: Australian Open 2021
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: Melbourne, Australia
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: AUD $80,000,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport 1 | India - Sony Six
Jennifer Brady vs Madison Brengle preview
After registering an emphatic win over Aliona Bolsova in her opening round fixture on Tuesday, Jennifer Brady will now take on compatriot Madison Brengle in the second round on Thursday.
Jennifer Brady's form has been on the mend ever since the 25-year-old lost in the opening round at the Abu Dhabi Open earlier this year. The recently concluded Grampians Trophy saw Brady make the semis, where she suffered a close defeat to Ann Li.
Before her loss to Li, Brady was able to convincingly get the better of Svetlana Kuznetsova, Marta Kostyuk and Barbora Krejcikova.
Now, at the year's first Slam, the American has gotten off to the best start possible. Hitting 14 winners against just 13 unforced errors, Brady completed her victory without dropping serve even once.
Her next opponent Madison Brengle comes in with a lot of top-level experience but not a great track record in Grand Slams. The 30-year-old has never made it to the quarterfinal of any Major, although it is pertinent to note that her best performance came at the Australian Open back in 2015 - when she reached the fourth round.
The 30-year-old Brengle, playing in her ninth Australian Open main draw, dismissed Arina Rodionova 6-1, 6-2 on Tuesday. Her unforced error count was on the lower side (16), but she will be a little concerned about her serve as she got broken twice.
Jennifer Brady vs Madison Brengle head-to-head
Jennifer Brady leads Madison Brengle 1-0 in the head-to-head record. The duo faced each other at the Indian Wells 125K event in 2019, with the younger American winning by a scoreline of 6-3, 6-1.
Jennifer Brady vs Madison Brengle prediction
Jennifer Brady's all-round game has been known to give fits to even the best of players, and that makes her the favorite going into the clash against Madison Brengle. But Brengle has plenty of weapons of her own, which could potentially unsettle Brady's rhythm.
Brengle displayed some exemplary defense against Arina Rodionova, which got her out of trouble on several occasions. She used her backhand very effectively to open up the court against the Australian, and she would look to do the same against Brady.
That said, Jennifer Brady is the more consistent shot-maker off both wings, and possesses a little more firepower than Brengle. That, coupled with the speed of the courts this year (reportedly 20% faster than usual), makes it difficult to look past Brady as the winner of this encounter.
Prediction: Jennifer Brady to win in three sets.