Guadalajara Open 2022: Madison Keys vs Ajla Tomljanovic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (13) Madison Keys vs Ajla Tomljanovic.
Date: October 19, 2022.
Tournament: Guadalajara Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 32).
Venue: Panamerican Tennis Center, Guadalajara, Mexico.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Hardcourt.
Prize money: $2,527,250.
Match timing: Approx. 6:30 pm local time, 11:30 pm GMT, 7:30 pm ET and 5 am IST.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video.
Madison Keys vs Ajla Tomljanovic preview
World No. 15 Madison Keys will face off against Ajla Tomljanovic in the second round of the 2022 Guadalajara Open on Wednesday.
Keys commenced her campaign here against Magda Linette in the first round. The American trailed 2-0 in the opening set, but broke her opponent's serve thrice to go 5-2 up. However, she lost serve while trying to close out the set. It turned out to be a minor setback as she broke Linette's serve in the next game to take the set.
Keys bagged an early break to lead 2-0, but her opponent fought back to make it 2-2. The former US Open finalist then won three games on the trot to go 5-2 up. With Linette serving to stay in the match, she saved five match points before finally managing a hold of serve.
Keys then got an opportunity to close out the proceedings herself in the next game and did so with ease to win the match 6-3, 6-3.
Ajla Tomljanovic was drawn against home favorite Fernanda Contreras Gomez in the first round. The Australian put her opponent under pressure right off the bat and reeled off four games in a row towards the end of the opening set to claim it.
The second set was fairly one-sided. Tomljanovic jumped to a 3-0 lead in the second set before Contreras Gomez got on the board with a hold of serve. The 2022 Wimbledon quarterfinalist then bagged the next three games to win the match 6-2, 6-1.
Madison Keys vs Ajla Tomljanovic head-to-head
The two have faced off thrice before, with Keys leading 2-1 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships in straight sets.
Madison Keys vs Ajla Tomljanovic odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Madison Keys vs Ajla Tomljanovic prediction
Both got off to a strong start here, especially Tomljanovic. The Australian won 87% of her first serve points and didn't face a single break point during her first-round win over Contreras Gomez.
Keys' serving stats were also pretty decent. Both players also excelled during their return games. Tomljanovic's second serve is prone to breaking down at times and it could give the American just enough of an edge to sway the tide in her favor.
Keys is a bigger hitter between the two, though if she's not careful she might find herself on the backfoot due to the Australian's consistency. Tomljanovic is having the best season of her career, which includes quarterfinal runs at Wimbledon and the US Open. She even defeated Serena Williams in the latter.
With the fight for a spot in the WTA Finals still going on, Keys is a contender as well. She needs to make a deep run here to have a shot at qualifying for it. If the American puts her best foot forward, there's no stopping her, or else Tomljanovic will add another big scalp to her resume.
Pick: Madison Keys to win in three sets.