11:10 am
August 27

WTA Western & Southern Open: #14 Elise Mertens v. #4 Naomi Osaka

Who will WIN this matchup?

#14 Elise Mertens (BEL)

#4 Naomi Osaka (JPN)

 

Current odds:

Elise Mertens: (+130)

Naomi Osaka: (-163)

 

• Naomi Osaka defeated 12th seed Anett Kontaveit, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, to enter the semifinal of Western & Southern Open for the first time. She not only trailed the match by a set but also came within a point of going down a double break in the second. This is her fourth victory over the Estonian in as many career encounters.

• Elise Mertens ended the dream run of qualifier Jessica Pegula, who was playing her maiden Premier quarterfinal, 6-1, 6-3, in 64 minutes. Along with Osaka, the Belgian’s previous best W&S Open result was a quarterfinal (2018). She has now surpassed that hurdle at the loss of just two service games in the entire week.

• Mertens has lost her last seven meetings with top 10 players, all in straight sets, taking her career record to 6-17. One of those defeats came to Osaka at last year’s Toray Pan Pacific Open in Osaka. The Japanese player won that match, which was also a semifinal, 6-4, 6-1, to level their head-to-head record at 1-1.

5/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
#4 Naomi Osaka (JPN)
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