Wimbledon 2022: Ons Jabeur vs Katarzyna Kawa preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Ons Jabeur vs Katarzyna Kawa.
Date: June 29, 2022.
Tournament: Wimbledon 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 64).
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.
Ons Jabeur vs Katarzyna Kawa preview
World No. 2 Ons Jabeur meets 132nd-ranked qualifier Katarzyna Kawa in the second round of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday.
Jabeur has been on a roll the past few months. A highly successful clay swing saw her collect the Madrid title and finish as the runner-up in Rome and Charleston. The French Open, however, was an aberration as she crashed out in the first round.
The Tunisian didn't let the setback impede her overall progress this season. Jabeur soon bounced back in Berlin to win her third career title after Belinda Bencic handed her a walkover due to injury in the final. The title was also her second on grass.
The result catapulted the 27-year-old to a career-high world ranking of No. 2, where she is currently perched.
Thanks to her incredible consistency, Jabeur has arrived at Wimbledon as one of the biggest contenders for the title. The third seed began her campaign in style on Monday, thrashing Mirjam Bjorkland 6-1, 6-3 and will be keen to continue her sterling form throughout the fortnight.
1st round ✅😉 https://t.co/TSWfPnF2rd
Poland's Katarzyna Kawa, meanwhile, has never been ranked higher than 112 in the world. The 29-year-old had a disappointing 6-9 win-loss record heading into Wimbledon. Her best performance so far has been a runner-up finish in an ITF $100,000 claycourt event in Florida in May.
Kawa broke new ground at SW19 this year by qualifying for the main draw of the grasscourt Major for the first time in her career. The three wins in qualifying gave her the confidence to upset higher-ranked Rebecca Marino 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in the first round on Monday.
Ons Jabeur vs Katarzyna Kawa head-to-head
Jabeur has a flawless 2-0 lead in her head-to-head with Katarzyna Kawa. The Tunisian earned her first win at home in Tunis in 2014 before repeating the feat at the US Open six years later.
Ons Jabeur vs Katarzyna Kawa odds
(All odds are sourced from Oddschecker)
Ons Jabeur vs Katarzyna Kawa prediction
It goes without saying that Jabeur is the overwhelming favorite to come through this clash by dint of her ranking and form.
The Tunisian has been playing with a newfound self-belief that has helped her win a couple of titles in the past 1.5 months. Her smooth movement and strong play from the back of the court, coupled with her array of slices and dropshots, make her a favorite on this surface.
Jabeur seems to have toughened up mentally as well, which has rewarded her with huge success of late.
And that's how you sign off from a press conference..
Ons Jabeur: "If you're mentally strong, you can do anything. That's honestly the message I'm trying to send every time. I'm someone from Tunisia, nobody even believed that I could be here, and here I am talking to you."
Clearly, Kawa has an uphill task on her hands against the third seed. Having never beaten the Tunisian in their past two meetings, she will be on the backfoot from the start of the match.
For the Pole to trouble the in-form Jabeur even a little, she needs to serve well. Against Marino, she coughed up seven double faults and landed only 54% of her first serves. She also committed as many as 50 unforced errors to just 26 winners.
If she starts conceding such easy points through her wobbly serve and unforced errors, Jabeur will simply run away with the match.
Pick: Ons Jabeur to win in straight sets.