Magda Linette vs Sloane Stephens Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Rouen

Prediction published on 20/04/2024, 13:38  by Ian John | Modified on 21/04/2024 at 01:00 in Tennis Predictions

Magda Linette faces sixth seed Sloane Stephens in the WTA Rouen 250 final. The Polish right hander had endured a miserable season on hard courts. She won just 5 matches and lost 16 games on the surface, with a best performance in reaching the round of 16 in Brisbane and Abu Dhabi. However, she replicated that performance in her first clay tournament in Charleston at the beginning of April and has now reached the final in Rouen. She's defeated Elsa Jacquemot (7-5, 6-1), Natalija Stevanovic (6-2, 6-1), Arantxa Rus (7-6(9), 6-1) and then third seed Angelina Kalinina (6-1 , 4-6, 6-2) on the way to the final and her live WTA ranking has improved to 60th as a result. This is her first final since Guangzhou in October 2023 where she lost 6-0, 6-2 in the final to Xiyu Wang.

Her opponent, and clear favorite for the win, is American Sloane Stephens. The 31-year-old has improved her ranking to 39th in the WTA Live Rankings given her dominant performances in Rouen. A former US Open winner Stephens started the tournament sluggishly. She lost the first set to Peyton Stearns 6-1, but then found her form, winning the next two 6-1, 6-3 to go through to the second round. Karolina Pliskova was then dispatched 6-3, 6-2 followed by a 6-2, 6-2 win over Yue Yuan in the quarter-finals. A tough semi-final looked on the cards against France's Caroline Garcia, but Stephens once again dominated, easing her way to a 6-3, 6-2 win. Her excellent head-to-head record against Linette combined with her fine form will have Stephens in a confident mood for the finale.