Cincinnati 2020: Madison Keys vs Ons Jabeur preview, head-to-head & prediction | Western & Southern Open

Match details

Fixture: Madison Keys vs Ons Jabeur

Date: 24 August 2020

Tournament: Western & Southern Open 2020

Round: Round of 32

Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York, USA

Category: WTA Premier 5

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $1,950,079

Match timing: 7 pm EDT, 4.30 am IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel / ESPN

Madison Keys vs Ons Jabeur preview

Defending champion and seventh seed Madison Keys is all set to get her latest campaign underway at the 2020 Western & Southern Open.

The round of 32 encounter will be the American's first professional match since the coronavirus-induced suspension. Having received a bye in the first round, Keys faces a tough task in her first match back.

That's because her opponent for the day, Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, seems to have struck fine form coming into this year's tournament.

Ons Jabeur has been playing some of her best tennis this season

Jabeur had an emphatic start to the season with deep runs over the Australian summer, including a quarterfinal at the year's first Slam. She followed that up with a strong showing in the Middle East.

Importantly, all of those results came in hardcourt events. Also dangerous is her form coming back from the suspension, as seen in her last eight finish at Lexington just last week.

Ons Jabeur, as you would have inferred, has a lot going for her at this point. She is playing an absolutely fearless brand of tennis, and with the success that she's had with it lately you can expect more of the same here.

Madison Keys vs Ons Jabeur head-to-head

Madison Keys has had great success on the American hard-courts over the course of her career.

This will be the first career meeting between the two big-hitting opponents, and there's very little to choose between the two. Both Madison Keys and Ons Jabeur will be slugging it out for control of the baseline, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.

Jabuer has had the extra bit of match practice and will be settled and ready to go. Keys, on the other hand, might need a few games to play herself in, so it is the American who will need to be extra vigilant at the start of the match.

Madison Keys vs Ons Jabeur prediction

A very difficult match to call, this one could go either way. It will really come to down to which player hits fewer unforced errors over the duration of the match.

With little match practice and the extra pressure of defending a title here, Keys would seem like the obvious choice to lead in that department. However, the unpredictable Jabeur will herself need to keep a tab on her groundstrokes if she wants to stage another upset.

Prediction: Madison Keys to win in three sets.