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Match Details
Fixture: (13) Madison Keys vs Victoria Azarenka.
Date: October 20, 2022.
Tournament: Guadalajara Open 2022.
Round: Third round (Round of 16).
Venue: Panamerican Tennis Center, Guadalajara, Mexico.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Hardcourt.
Prize money: $2,527,250.
Match timing: Not before 4 pm local time, 9 pm GMT, 5 pm ET and 2:30 am IST.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video.
Madison Keys vs Victoria Azarenka preview
World No. 15 Madison Keys will square off against two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka in the third round of the 2022 Guadalajara Open on Thursday.
Keys eased past Magda Linette in straight sets to set up a second-round encounter with Ajla Tomljanovic. She fell behind 2-0 in the opening set, but fought back to make it 3-3. The Australian then won the next three games in a row to take the set.
Keys broke her opponent's serve twice as she raced to a 5-1 lead in the second set. She lost serve while trying to wrap up the set on her first attempt, but managed to do so on her next try. The American secured an early lead to go 2-0 up in the deciding set.
Tomljanovic eventually got back on serve to tie the score at 3-3, following which Keys claimed the last three games of the match to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. The victory also keeps her in contention to qualify for the WTA Finals.
Victoria Azarenka dispatched lucky loser Elina Avanesyan to advance to the second round, where top seed Paula Badosa awaited her. The Belarusian was off to a hot start as she broke her opponent's serve twice to go 4-0 up.
Badosa got going with a hold of serve to make it 4-1, but called for a trainer during the changeover after that. She continued to play after the quick check-up. The two remained steady on serve for the rest of the set, with Azarenka serving out the first set with ease to claim it 6-2.
However, the Spaniard was unable to continue playing after and retired citing an illness, sending Azarenka into the next round.
Madison Keys vs Victoria Azarenka head-to-head
Azarenka leads Keys 2-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2021 French Open in straight sets.
Madison Keys vs Victoria Azarenka odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Madison Keys vs Victoria Azarenka prediction
Azarenka played some fine tennis in the previous round, but considering Badosa wasn't at her best and eventually retired, it's hard to assess her true level. Keys, on her part, did well to stage a comeback against Tomljanovic in the second round.
Both players have pretty good serves, though Keys has the edge in this aspect. While the duo are known to be prolific big-hitters, Azarenka has better control of her groundstrokes and tends to make better shot selection at times as well.
The American is yet to defeat the former World No. 1, and this could be an opportunity for her to do so. Keys has had a much better season than Azarenka so far, but the Belarusian appears to be making a push to end the year on a high-note. Based on how they've played so far, Keys will be the favorite to come out on top in this encounter.
Pick: Madison Keys to win in three sets.
