Australian Open 2023: Madison Keys vs Wang Xinyu preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (10) Madison Keys vs Wang Xinyu.
Date: 18 January 2023.
Tournament: Australian Open 2023.
Round: Second round (Round of 64).
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Hard.
Prize Money: A$76,500,000.
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Ten & Sony Liv.
Madison Keys vs Wang Xinyu preview
2017 US Open runner-up Madison Keys will square off against World No. 79 Wang Xinyu in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open on Wednesday.
Keys' first-round opponent was Anna Blinkova. She was on the backfoot at the start of the opening set as she trailed 4-1. However, the American fought back by winning the next five games to clinch the set.
Blinkova was off to a good start yet again as she jumped to a 3-1 lead in the second set. She dropped serve while trying to close out the set at 5-2, but recovered quickly. The Russian broke her opponent's serve in the next game to take the set.
The deciding set started with five straight breaks of serve, with Keys gaining the upper hand to lead 3-2. This sealed the deal in her favor as she won the next three games as well to complete a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory.
Wang took on home favorite Storm Hunter in the opening round. The latter led by a break twice in the first set, but the former fought back to level the score on both occasions. The Chinese came out on top in the ensuing tie-break to claim the set.
Wang secured an early break at the start of the second set to lead 2-0. This proved to be more than enough for her as her opponent was unable to recover from this deficit. The 21-year old defeated Hunter 7-6 (2), 6-4 to score her first Grand Slam win since last year's Australian Open.
Madison Keys vs Wang Xinyu head-to-head
Keys and Wang have never squared off on the tour before. Hence, their head-to-head is tied at a 0-0 for now.
Madison Keys vs Wang Xinyu odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Madison Keys vs Wang Xinyu prediction
Keys' serve, which is generally quite effective, let her down in the first round, but she managed to overcome her serving woes to emerge victorious. She dropped serve eight times and won 50% of her first serve points, which is rather unusual for her. The American hit a lot of winners throughout the match, but often found herself in trouble with plenty of unforced errors as well.
Wang played slightly better to defeat Hunter in the previous round. Her forehand in particular was quite potent and if she uses that shot with the same accuracy in the next round, she could give Keys a tough time.
Wang is yet to progress beyond the second round of a Grand Slam and her record against higher-ranked players isn't something to boast about. Despite a shaky performance from Keys in the previous round, she remains undefeated this year and is on a six-match winning streak. Expect the American to overcome any challenges to progress further.
Pick: Madison Keys to win in straight sets.