Cincinnati 2020: Elise Mertens vs Veronika Kudermetova preview, head-to-head & prediction | Western & Southern Open

Match details

Fixture: Elise Mertens vs Veronika Kudermetova

Date: 25 August

Tournament: Western & Southern Open 2020

Round: Round of 16

Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, USA

Category: WTA Premier 5

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $1,950,079

Match timing: 11 am EDT, 8.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel / ESPN

Elise Mertens vs Veronika Kudermetova preview

14th seed Elise Mertens will look for a spot in the quarterfinals of the Western and Southern Open as she takes on giant-killer Veronika Kudermetova in the third round on Tuesday.

This is a mouthwatering duel between two players both of whom have been fairly consistent this season, even though 19 ranking spots separate them.

Mertens, ranked No. 22, kicked off the year with back-to-back quarterfinals at Shenzen and Hobart. The Belgian then carried forward her early season momentum when the tour restarted, and made it to the final of the Prague Open earlier this month.

The 41st-ranked Kudermetova was impressive too, going a step ahead of Elise Mertens at Hobart and reaching the semifinals. At Dubai, she started her campaign from the qualifying stages and won four matches to roll into the Round of 16.

While the Russian wasn't able to replicate those heroics at Prague, she did make quite a statement at Cincinnati with her big upset of top seed Karolina Pliskova in the second round.

Veronika Kudermetova upset the top seed Karolina Pliskova in Cincinnati

Elise Mertens vs Veronika Kudermetova head-to-head

Elise Mertens and Veronika Kudermetova have met only once prior to this showdown, with Mertens leading the head-to-head 1-0. The match, held on the hardcourts of Moscow in 2016, was a real thriller as the Belgian rebounded from a first-set loss to register a 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2 victory.

Elise Mertens vs Veronika Kudermetova prediction

Elise Mertens was the runner-up at the Prague Open

Elise Mertens had seemed to be sailing away in the first set of her second-round clash with Kristina Mladenovic, but the Frenchwoman bounced back and stretched the match to a decider. Displaying her usual dogged counterpunching, the Belgian broke the Mladenovic service twice in the final set and didn't face any break point on her own serve for a 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3 win.

Veronika Kudermetova, on her part, needed tons of grit to see off the dangerous Ajla Tomljanovic 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 in the first round. That performance boosted her confidence immensely, as evident from her 7-5, 6-4 upset of former US Open Karolina Pliskova in the next round.

With both players being tested already in New York, another absorbing battle is on the cards. That said, Mertens should have a slight edge given her strong start when the tour resumed. She also has her previous win over Kudermetova to draw inspiration from.

Prediction: Elise Mertens to win in three sets.