Madrid Open 2022: Ons Jabeur vs Varvara Gracheva preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match details
Fixture: (8) Ons Jabeur vs (Q) Varvara Gracheva
Date: 30 April 2022
Tournament: Madrid Open 2022
Round: Second round (Round of 32)
Venue: Madrid, Spain
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize money: $6,575,560
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Ons Jabeur vs Varvara Gracheva preview
World No. 10 Ons Jabeur will square off against qualifier Varvara Gracheva in the second round of the 2022 Madrid Open on Saturday.
Jabeur kicked off her campaign in Madrid with a 7-6(9), 6-1 win over Jasmine Paolini. She initially found herself on the backfoot, trailing 3-1 in the first set. But the Tunisian fought hard to level the score at 4-4. The duo then traded service breaks over the next four games, forcing a tie-break.
Jabeur needed five set points to clinch the opener as Paolini fought tooth and nail. The World No. 10 raised her level in the second set and the Italian didn't put up much resistance, going down 6-1.
Jabeur reached the third round on her Madrid debut last year and will be aiming to better that result this time around.
Jabeur slides through to the second round 👊
The No.8 seed gets past Paolini, 7-6(9), 6-1.
#MMOPEN https://t.co/QpMFtXPTcT
Varvara Gracheva, meanwhile, defeated Maddison Inglis and Heather Watson in straight sets during the qualifying rounds to book her spot in the main draw. She was drawn against 2022 Australian Open quarterfinalist Alize Cornet in her maiden main-draw appearance at a WTA 1000 event.
Gracheva lost the opening set rather tamely. She fell behind in the second set as well, but raised her level to break Cornet's serve as the Frenchwoman tried to close out the match at 5-4. The Russian won the next three games to take the match into a decider.
Qualifier Varvara Gracheva is hit-or-miss but comes back from 3-5 in both the 2nd and 3rd sets to beat a mostly passive Cornet, 16 75 75 in 2h43m.
The final set mirrored the second. Gracheva trailed yet again, but capitalized on Cornet's nerves as the Frenchwoman failed to close out the match at 5-4 once more. The 21-year-old then won three games on the trot to complete at 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 comeback win.
Ons Jabeur vs Varvara Gracheva head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between the duo, so the head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Ons Jabeur vs Varvara Gracheva odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Ons Jabeur vs Varvara Gracheva prediction
Given the vast gulf in their rankings and experience, Jabeur will be the overwhelming favorite to win this encounter. Gracheva is still finding her footing on the tour and has won just four main-draw matches this season.
Jabeur, on the other hand, has been quite consistent, with a majority of her defeats coming against top-ranked players. The only exception was her loss to Daria Saville at the Indian Wells Open in March.
The Tunisian is a solid player on clay and her versatility makes her a dangerous opponent. She has plenty of tricks up her sleeve, including drop shots and low slices. But with so many tools in her arsenal, her shot-selection tends to be puzzling at times. Her serve in the previous match was rather average, which is an area Gracheva would be eager to capitalize on.
Gracheva's got a solid baseline game and showed tremendous fighting spirit in her first-round match against Cornet. However, getting past Jabeur, who is playing some of her best tennis this season, might prove to be a step too far for the young Russian.
Pick: Ons Jabeur to win in straight sets.'
Also Check Out :- Madrid Open 2022 Schedule