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Match Details
Fixture: (28) Elise Mertens vs Sloane Stephens
Date: April 25, 2024
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: La Caja Majica, Madrid, Spain
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €7,877,020
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN3
Elise Mertens vs Sloane Stephens preview
Elise Mertens and Sloane Stephens are set to clash in the second round of the 2024 Madrid Open on Thursday.
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Mertens had mixed success during the early hardcourt season. She reached her 13th career final in singles at Hobart International but lost to Emma Navarro. Her next best results were a fourth-round finish at the Indian Wells Open and a quarterfinal at the Charleston Open.
However, Mertens tasted glory in doubles. She reunited with her former partner Hsieh Su-wei this year and won the Australian Open and the Indian Wells Open titles.
Mertens recently competed at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. She ousted Tatjana Maria in her opener but lost to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the next round. She's a first-round bye as one of the seeded players in Madrid.
Meanwhile, fresh off a title in Rouen just last week, Stephens was raring to go against Martina Trevisan in the first round. There were five breaks of serve in the first six games of the opening set.
Stephens pipped Trevisan amidst the chaos to surge ahead and eventually capture the set. The American was on the cusp of victory in the second set as she held a couple of match points on her opponent's serve at 5-3.
However, Trevisan fended them off and reeled off the next four games to snatch the set. There wasn't much separating the two in the decider. But Stephens had the last laugh, going on a three-game run to wrap up a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 win.
Elise Mertens vs Sloane Stephens head-to-head
The two have split their prior four meetings evenly to tie the head-to-head at 2-2. Mertens won their most recent encounter at this year's Brisbane International in three sets.
Elise Mertens vs Sloane Stephens odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Elise Mertens vs Sloane Stephens prediction
Stephens took the scenic route to victory against Trevisan but eventually got over the hump. This was the kind of match that she would've lost a few months ago, but the American dug deep to eke out a win.
Stephens has been on a roll this clay swing. She won the doubles title in Charleston and captured her first singles title in over two years in Rouen last weekend.
Stephens almost notched her third straight win over Mertens earlier this year. The American won the first set but went lost in three sets. However, she's playing well at the moment and is even more dangerous on clay. The American will be favored to make it to the next round, given her form.
Pick: Sloane Stephens to win in straight sets
