Madrid Open 2024: Emma Navarro vs Nadia Podoroska preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (19) Emma Navarro vs Nadia Podoroska
Date: Thursday, April 25
Time: TBD
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open
Round: Second Round
Venue: La Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Clay (Outdoor)
Prize Money: $7,877,020
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Emma Navarro vs Nadia Podoroska preview
Nineteenth seed Emma Navarro will open her campaign against Nadia Podoroska in the second round of the Madrid Open on Thursday, April 25.
Navarro burst onto the scene at the start of the season with a semifinal run in Auckland where she lost to compatriot Coco Gauff. She followed up with a brilliant run by picking up her first WTA title the following week at the Hobart International, beating top seed Elise Mertens in the final.
Navarro reached the third round at both the Australian Open and the Qatar Open, losing two tight three-setters to Dayana Yastremska and Elena Rybakina. At the BNP Paribas Open, she stunned the likes of Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka en route to the quarterfinals where she lost to Maria Sakkari.
Emma Navarro broke new ground after her semi-final run at the San Diego Open, reaching a career-high of No. 20 in the WTA rankings. She kicked off her clay court campaign at the Charleston Open where she reached the round of 16.
Podoroska, meanwhile, is currently 13-11 in the W/L charts for the season with her best result coming at the BNP Paribas Open where she reached the round of 32 after plowing through the qualifiers. She beat Nuria Parrizas-Diaz, Ashlyn Krueger, and Kayla Day before succumbing to 28th seed Anastasia Potapova.
She was granted a berth in the main draw in Madrid as an alternate. She kicked off her campaign with a 6-2, 7-6 (2) win against Katerina Siniakova in the first round.
Emma Navarro vs Nadia Podoroska head-to-head
Emma Navarro and Nadia Podoroska have faced off just once on tour with the American comfortably winning that encounter 6-2, 6-0 in the first round of the Bad Homburg Open in Germany last year.
Emma Navarro vs Nadia Podoroska odds
(Odds sourced from BetMGM)
Emma Navarro vs Nadia Podoroska prediction
Despite coasting through the first set against Katerina Siniakova in round one, Podoroska was inconsistent from the back of the court in the second set. It means she had to plow through a tight tie-breaker to guarantee the win.
Navarro, meanwhile, has fizzed out after her terrific start to the year with a couple of disappointing losses in Miami and Charleston. She started strongly on the clay with a commanding win over compatriot Katie Volynets in Charleston. A disappointing showing on serve and with her baseline gameplay resulted in a three-set defeat in the following round.
Navarro though holds a slight edge over her opponent Podoroska in terms of experience. The match could get over quickly if Navarro serves well and dictates play from the back of the court.
Podoroska will have to make early inroads on the Navarro serve and play the big points exceedingly well should she have a chance to make it through.
Pick: Emma Navarro in straight sets.