Cristina Bucsa vs Elise Mertens Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA China Open

Prediction published on 29/09/2024, 06:18  by Kennedy Kechula | Modified on 29/09/2024 at 06:21 in Tennis Predictions

The unseeded Cristina Bucsa will take on 24th seed Elise Mertens in the third round at the 2024 China Open. A fourth-round meeting with Karolina Muchova or Jaqueline Cristian will await the winner.

We have a prediction of this match at the end of this article. Cristina Bucsa produced a big win in the last round and will be brimming with confidence for this match.

The Spaniard battled to defeat 11th seed and last year’s Beijing finalist Liudmila Samsonova in three sets. She now seems to have stabilized her form with back-to-back victories.

Bucsa hadn’t won successive matches since qualifying for the main draw in Strasbourg back in May. She has had an inconsistent campaign and despite her run here is still on a losing record.

The win over Samsonova has moved her one place to 78th in the live ranking.

Elise Mertens also needed a decider to win her second-round matchup. This was against Elisabetta Cocciaretto. The match was a grueling one, lasting two hours and 41 minutes.

Mertens has now progressed to the third round in Beijing for the first time. The Belgian, making her fifth appearance here, had lost twice in the second round. She has now improved her record to 26-22 after claiming her 16th win on hard courts.

Mertens is a strong hard-court player and has won over 260 matches on the surface in her career. A former Australian Open semi-finalist, Mertens has won six of her eight career tour titles on hard courts.

She was a finalist in Hobart this year and has also earned fourth-round finishes at the US Open and Indian Wells. The former world number 12 is currently placed 30th in the live ranking.