No.14 seed Victoria Azarenka will face 19th seed Madison Keys in the second round of the Italian Open
Victoria Azarenka is coming to Italy at the back of some disappointing performances and will be looking to turn things around. The veteran Tennis star started the year on a good note with a semi-final appearance at the Australian Open, but things have fallen off since then. Azarenka has failed to win any silverware so far this year, but the 14th seed has an outside chance of winning the title in Rome.
Azarenka’s recent form has been something of a worry. Last week, she lost to unseeded Alycia Parks in the very first round of the Madrid Open despite being the No.15 seed.
She had disappointing outings in the preceding tournaments as well – the Charleston Open, the Miami Open and the Indian Wells Masters. Azarenka will be looking to capitalise on her good start at the Italian Open. She is coming into this match following a 6-4, 6-3 win over Sloane Stephens and it remains to be seen if she can continue her good run of form.
Madison Keys’ form coming into the match
Madison Keys is coming into this encounter after an impressive straight sets victory against Magdalena Frech. The American is back in action on the WTA tour after a month-long break but she looked in fine rhythm in her opening match. She has made the quarter-finals twice this year but consistency is something that she would look to work on. Keys is the 19th seed in Rome and is expected to progress deep into the tournament.
Details:
Date – Saturday, 13th May
Court Type – Clay outdoor surface
Telecast – Tennis Channel
Start Time – 08:30 pm IST
Location – Foro Italico
Match details – Round of 32 match
Head to Head and Predictions
Azarenka and Keys have played each other five times before on the WTA Tour. Both players know each other’s game pretty well. All matches have been closely fought but Azarenka has the upper hand and leads 4-1 on head to head. It’s a difficult match to call as both players have similar playing styles and the performance on that particular day is likely to make a difference. We are predicting an intense encounter with Victoria Azarenka eventually coming out on top in three sets.
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