Madrid Open 2022: Leylah Fernandez vs Andrea Petkovic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match details
Fixture: (17) Leylah Fernandez vs (Q) Andrea Petkovic
Date: 29 April 2022.
Tournament: Madrid Open 2022.
Round: First round (Round of 64).
Venue: Madrid, Spain.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Clay.
Prize money: €6,744,165
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Leylah Fernandez vs Andrea Petkovic preview
World No. 20 Leylah Fernandez will take on German qualifier Andrea Petkovic on Friday in her quest for a spot in the second round of the Madrid Open.
Fernandez backed up her stunning run to the 2021 US Open final with a fourth-round appearance at Indian Wells last year. While she ended 2021 on a high, her start to 2022 wasn't memorable.
The 19-year-old crashed out early in both Adelaide and the Australian Open, winning just one match Down Under.
However, the World No. 20 soon bounced back by winning the title in Monterrey. After yet another fourth-round finish at Indian Wells, Fernandez has once again spiraled into a slump.
Left inspired and in awh of these amazing women. 
🤍Thank you for an incredible week of memories and getting to represent our country at home! 
Still reminiscing about last week 😍 Left inspired and in awh of these amazing women. ❤️🤍Thank you for an incredible week of memories and getting to represent our country at home! 🇨🇦 https://t.co/39bC8kRvXm
She finished the US swing with back-to-back second-round exits in Miami and Charleston and will now be hoping for a turnaround in fortunes in Europe.
Former French Open semifinalist Andrea Petkovic, meanwhile, is playing her final year on tour. The German started the season with a quarterfinal at the Melbourne Summer Set 1 before losing in the first and second rounds at the Australian Open and St. Petersburg respectively.
At the Qatar Open, the 34-year-old managed to win two rounds of qualifying only to be shown the door by Viktorija Golubic in the first round of the main draw.
Back on clay, Petkovic seems to have rediscovered her touch this week in the qualifiers of the Madrid Open. She beat quality opponents in Kaja Juvan and Misaki Doi and will be eager to give a good account of herself against the 17th-seeded Fernandez.
.@andreapetkovic on her way into the Madrid main draw https://t.co/POSad4C8nd
Leylah Fernandez vs Andrea Petkovic head-to-head
Fernandez and Petkovic have never squared off on the tour before, so their head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Leylah Fernandez vs Andrea Petkovic odds
Leylah Fernandez vs Andrea Petkovic prediction
Being the 2019 junior French Open champion, Fernandez certainly knows a thing or two about playing on the red dirt.
She doesn't boast of a strong serve but makes up for it with her fantastic groundstroke game. The southpaw's biggest asset is her forehand, with which she takes the ball early and effortlessly changes the direction of the ball. Fernandez's defensive skills, too, are highly impressive, which gives her an advantage on clay.
The teen will need all elements of her game to come good against a veteran like Petkovic, who has had great results on this surface in the past. The German hits with incredible power, with her superb backhand doing a lot of damage. She is also coming into this match with a lot of confidence after having notched up a couple of wins in the qualifiers.
But at 34, staying toe-to-toe with her 19-year-old opponent might be too much of an ask. Petkovic does have the tools to put Fernandez under pressure, but once the Canadian gets going, she will be hard to stop.
Prediction: Fernandez to win in straight sets.
Also Check Out :- Madrid Open 2022 Schedule