Montreal 2021: Bianca Andreescu vs Ons Jabeur preview, head-to-head & prediction | National Bank Open
Match details
Fixture: (2) Bianca Andreescu vs (13) Ons Jabeur
Date: 12 August 2021
Tournament: National Bank Open 2021
Round: Third round (Round of 16)
Venue: IGA Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor hard
Prize money: $1,835,490
Match timing: Not before 7 pm local time, 11 pm GST, 4.30 am IST (Friday)
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Bianca Andreescu vs Ons Jabeur preview
Home favorite Bianca Andreescu will face a stern challenge in the shape of Ons Jabeur in the third round of the 2021 National Bank Open on Thursday.
Andreescu, seeded second in Montreal, overcame Harriet Dart 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in the second round on Tuesday. The Canadian, who has been struggling for form post the Miami Open, began brightly against Dart but suffered a mid-match slump that saw her drop the second set.
Nevertheless, she was able to recover and grind out yet another three-set victory in front of her home crowd.
While on song, Andreescu is a force to reckon with on hardcourts. But the defending champion has struggled to maintain a consistent level in recent matches. She will need to raise her game by several notches against Jabeur, who is in red-hot form.
Jabeur, who is playing in the main draw of the Canadian Open for the first time in her career, beat Clara Burel and Daria Kasatkina to make it to the third round.
The Tunisian needed two hours and eight minutes to see off the challenge of Kasatkina in the second round. Jabeur dropped the opening set but clawed her way back into the match and eventually prevailed 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The Tunisian conceded a whopping 18 break points in the match, but fortunately for her it did not prove costly as Kasatkina could only convert five of those opportunities.
The Russian, at one point, led 6-2, 2-0 but failed to sustain her momentum as Jabeur went on to win four games in a row and seize control of the match.
Bianca Andreescu vs Ons Jabeur head-to-head
Bianca Andreescu and Ons Jabeur have never faced each other on tour before, which is why their head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Bianca Andreescu vs Ons Jabeur prediction
Bianca Andreescu's biggest weakness in recent months has been her second serve and a solid returner like Jabeur will be able to take full advantage of the Canadian's struggles.
That said, Jabeur also found herself against the ropes during her service games against Kasatkina, who returned aggressively. Andreescu likes to take time away from her opponent by returning with pace, and thus this match could feature quite a few breaks of serve.
It remains to be seen if fatigue will become a factor for Jabeur, whose third-round match finished quite late on Wednesday. Andreescu will be much fresher for this match, considering her second-round encounter against Dart took place more than a day ago.
The majority of Andreescu's recent matches have gone the distance and if that happens on Thursday, the Canadian will be the favorite.
Prediction: Bianca Andreescu to win in three sets.