Wimbledon 2022: Ons Jabeur vs Elise Mertens preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Ons Jabeur vs (24) Elise Mertens
Date: July 3, 2022.
Tournament: Wimbledon 2022.
Round: Fourth round (Round of 16).
Venue: London, United Kingdom.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Grass.
Prize money: £40,350,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | Canada - TSN | UK - BBC & Eurosport | India - Star Sports & Disney+ Hotstar
Ons Jabeur vs Elise Mertens preview
Third seed Ons Jabeur and 24th seed Elise Mertens will square off on Sunday with a place in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships up for grabs.
Jabeur has been on a roll these past few months. A memorable clay season saw her clinch the title in Madrid and finish as the runner-up in Rome and Charleston. Despite suffering a shock first-round exit from the French Open, the Tunisian bounced back soon after to bag her third career title on the grasscourts of Berlin.
Now placed at a career-high No. 2 in the world rankings, the 27-year-old is one of the favorites for the Wimbledon title.
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The third seed has so far lived up to expectations, having made her way to the fourth round of the Championships without breaking a sweat. Jabeur has dropped a total of 13 games in three matches and will be keen to extend her eight-match winning streak when she meets Mertens next.
A former World No. 12 with six singles titles to her name, Mertens hasn't been at her best this year. In 13 tournaments, she has made the quarterfinals just twice. The Belgian's ranking has consequently plummeted to 31 as of now.
Despite her struggles, the former Australian Open semifinalist has made at least the fourth round of every Slam played so far this year.
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The 26-year-old needed three sets to prevail over each of Camila Osorio and Panna Udvardy in her first couple of rounds at Wimbledon this week. She then put up a remarkably improved performance in the third round to oust former champion Angelique Kerber 6-4 7-5.
Ons Jabeur vs Elise Mertens head-to-head
Mertens has a 1-0 lead over Jabeur in their head-to-head, having won their solitary meeting so far 6-3, 7-5 at the 2021 US Open.
Ons Jabeur vs Elise Mertens odds
(All odds are sourced from Oddschecker)
Ons Jabeur vs Elise Mertens prediction
Jabeur and Mertens are at the opposite ends of the spectrum as far as their form this season is concerned. While the Tunisian has come to Wimbledon riding on her best run of form ever, Mertens has been a pale shadow of herself all year.
Game-wise and energy level-wise, too, the World No. 2 has the edge over the Belgian. Jabeur has managed to breeze through her three matches so far, taking an hour on average for each win.
Mertens, on the other hand, has already spent more than six hours on the court, with her second-round win over Udvardy needing three hours and 15 minutes to complete.
Although Mertens is a solid doubles player herself and can make quick forays into the net whenever needed, Jabeur's array of slices and dropshots work well on the low-bouncing surface.
That said, Mertens did beat the Tunisian the last time they crossed swords. Jabeur needs to move in and keep the points short to prevent Mertens from gaining the upper hand. Against an efficient returner like Mertens, she also needs to do better than the 52% first serves she managed to land against Diane Parry in her last match.
Mertens isn't likely to go away easily, but given how consistent Jabeur has been of late, she is expected to find her way through to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.
Pick: Ons Jabeur to win in two tight sets.