Prague Open 2020: Eugenie Bouchard vs Elise Mertens preview, head-to-head & prediction

Former World No. 5 Eugenie Bouchard has put on an impressive show in the ongoing Prague Open. The Canadian star knocked out the sixth seed Veronika Kudermetova in the first round and then followed it up with a 7-6, 6-7, 6-2 win over Tamara Zidansek.

Bouchard will now try to clear the quarterfinals stage, but a stiff challenge from Belgian star Elise Mertens awaits her. Mertens has slipped to the 23rd spot in the WTA women's singles rankings after reaching a career-high of No. 12 in 2018, but her recent performances have been encouraging.

The 24-year-old from Leuven took three sets to beat Jasmine Paolini in the opening round, but she improved her game substantially in the second round to down Camila Giorgi in straight sets.

Eugenie Bouchard, meanwhile, has a decent win-loss record of 4-3 in 2020. She made it to the quarterfinals of the Auckland Open earlier this year, where the World No. 330 lost a close match to Amanda Anisimova.

Eugenie Bouchard vs Elise Mertens head-to-head

The head-to-head record between Elise Mertens and Eugenie Bouchard heavily favors the Belgian player. Mertens has beaten her Canadian rival in all three of their past meetings.

Their first match took place in the Netherlands four years ago, where Bouchard lost by the scoreline of 6-2, 6-0. In 2018 they met each other twice, and Mertens won both matches in straight sets.

Their playing styles are not very different; it's just that Elise Mertens does everything a little better. The Belgian hits consistent groundstrokes off both her forehand and backhand, and while she may struggle on her serve occasionally, her weight of shot is usually enough to compensate for that.

On the other hand, Eugenie Bouchard has a slightly more high-risk, aggressive game. She is good at taking control of points from the baseline, but her inconsistency often gets the better of her.

Eugenie Bouchard vs Elise Mertens prediction

Elise Mertens is expected to win this match

Current form favors Eugenie Bouchard, but Elise Mertens could sneak away with a win due to her superior consistency.

The third seed knows Bouchard's game well, having competed with her thrice on the tour. The fact that Bouchard has never been able to win a set against the Belgian shows how much of an advantage Mertens enjoys in the matchup.

Prediction: Elise Mertens to win in three sets.