Madrid Open 2024: Ons Jabeur vs Leylah Fernandez preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (8) Ons Jabeur vs (32) Leylah Fernandez
Date: April 27, 2024
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open
Round: Third Round (Round of 32)
Venue: La Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €7,877,020
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+/TSN3
Ons Jabeur vs Leylah Fernandez preview
Former US Open finalists Ons Jabeur and Leylah Fernandez will go up against each other in the third round of the 2024 Madrid Open on Saturday.
Following an opening-round bye, Jabeur faced Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the second round. The pair broke each other's serve to start the match. The Tunisan struck once more to go 4-2 up and remained in front after that to claim the set.
Jabeur overcame a 2-0 deficit to lead 4-2 in the second set. She served for the match at 5-4 and even held a match point. However, Schmiedlova broke her serve and nabbed the next couple of games as well to take the set.
Jabeur built up a 5-2 lead in the decider but once again got broken while trying to close out the match. She didn't let Schmiedlova back into the match this time as she broke back immediately to score a 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 win.
Fernandez received a bye into the second round as well, where she faced Anastasia Potapova. The two struggled to hold serve in the first set as there were five breaks of serve in the first six games.
Potapova eventually edged out Fernandez to go 5-3 up. However, the Canadian turned the tables on her opponent as she fended off four set points and bagged four games in a row to clinch the set.
The second set was more straightforward. Fernandez broke Potapova's serve just once, which was more than enough for her to score a 7-5, 6-3 win.
Ons Jabeur vs Leylah Fernandez head-to-head
Jabeur leads Fernandez 2-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2021 Birmingham Classic in three sets.
Ons Jabeur vs Leylah Fernandez odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Ons Jabeur vs Leylah Fernandez prediction
Jabeur took the long road to victory but got over the finish line after wasting a match point in the second set. She extended her winning streak to seven matches at the venue as she won the 2022 edition and didn't participate last year.
After Fernandez secured a hard-fought first set, she played more freely and took charge of the proceedings to oust Potapova. It marked her second career win in Madrid.
Fernandez has lost both of her prior matches against Jabeur but she did take the match to three sets on both occasions. This seems like the Canadian's best shot at scoring a win over her older rival.
Jabeur's injury woes haven't allowed her to play at a high level this year. She hasn't won back-to-back matches this year and has four wins under her belt. While she's an exceptionally good player on clay, her current form is quite dire, which makes Fernandez the favorite to win this match.
Pick: Leylah Fernandez to win in three sets.