Ekaterina Alexandrova and Jennifer Brady will clash on Monday, August 16, in the first round of WTA Cincinnati 2021. Both will be eager to show up in their first head-to-head meeting in their careers as they look to take one step closer to the silverware, which would improve the impression they’ve left in Tokyo.
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Jennifer Brady
When: Monday, August 16 – 19:00 EDT
Where: Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Cincinnati, OH
Weather: Cloudy, 24°C
Both players took a trip to Tokyo last month, but neither of them will keep it in their memory as a positive experience. The reason is that they both got knocked out of the Olympic tournament very early. Alexandrova lost to Nadia Podorosca in Round 2, while Brady’s journey crashed out of the first round after losing to Camila Giorgi with 0-2.
Both of them would like to bounce back straight away, which is why you can expect them to give their utmost in Cincinnati. Unfortunately, one of them will end her campaign tonight. Who is it going to be? Let’s find out!
Alexandrova Still Not Quite at an Elite Level
Ekaterina Alexandrova is currently no.35 in the WTA Rankings, close to the highest she’s ever been. However, she’s still without a single title this year and has been experiencing a dip in form over the last couple of weeks.
Apart from her early exit in Tokyo, the 26-year-old also ended her Wimbledon adventure after only two matches. Alexandrova also played just two games at the 2021 French Open. On a more positive note, she did a bit better at the 2021 Australian Open, where she reached round three.
Despite her iffy showings on the year, there is one thing working in her favour ahead of her clash with Brady. Alexandrova seems to love playing on hard courts, which is the surface used at the WTA Cincinnati. This year, she has managed a 56% win rate on hard courts, with a 9/7 record.
Furthermore, all of the seven titles she’s won in her career happened on this surface. There is one bad news for Alexandrova, however, which is that her opponent, too, is a fan of this surface.
Jennifer Brady Needs to Snap Out of the Bad Run
Jennifer Brady is currently no.14 in the WTA Rankings, but the question is, for how long she will remain there? If Brady keeps playing as badly as she’s been playing for the last couple of weeks, she’s going to drop down several spots.
Brady lost five of her last 10 matches, even though her opponents weren’t too strong. In fact, the highest-ranked player she has faced during that stretch was Barbora Krejcikova, who’s sitting in the #10 position.
However, despite her poor recent run, Brady is still very talented. She just needs to start showing that a bit more consistently.
Proof of this is that she did really well at the start of the year when she reached the finals in Melbourne. She was also excellent in 2020, which was the most successful year of her career. Her record last year was 24-10, while she also won the WTA Lexington, her biggest tournament thus far.
Despite her lack of success on the year, Brady deserves some slack, as she was forced to retire twice – in Rome and at the French Open.
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Jennifer Brady Betting Pick
Jennifer Brady and Ekaterina Alexandrova should have met in Rome in May; however, Brady withdrew from the tournament due to an injury. Now she is healthy and ready to take on Alexandrova, who she shouldn’t struggle too much against.
Brady has had a somewhat underwhelming season; however, she is still a class above Alexandrova. She hasn’t been playing at her best, but now is the perfect opportunity to get back on the winning track.
Prediction: Jennifer Brady – 1.83 at Pinnacle
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