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Fixture: (4) Ons Jabeur vs Paula Badosa.
Date: May 12, 2023.
Tournament: Italian Open 2023.
Round: Second Round (Round of 64).
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €3,572,618.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Ons Jabeur vs Paula Badosa preview
Two-time Major runner-up Ons Jabeur will square off against Paula Badosa in the second round of the 2023 Italian Open on Friday.
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Jabeur started her clay season by winning the Charleston Open. She didn't drop a set en route to the title and defeated players like Daria Kasatkina and Belinda Bencic to hoist the trophy. Her next tournament was the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
Jabeur scored a three-set win over Jelena Ostapenko to make the last eight. She eased past Beatriz Haddad Maia to reach the semifinals. Up against Iga Swiatek, the Tunisian injured herself in the first set and was forced to retire.
Jabeur was the defending champion at the Madrid Open, but she had to forego her title defense to recover from the aforementioned injury. As one of the seeded players, she received a first round bye at the Italian Open.
Badosa was drawn against Anna-Lena Friedsam in the first round here. The Spaniard led 2-0 in the opening set, but she was unable to hold on to the lead for long. The two remained steady on serve over the next few games.
Badosa served to stay in the set at 5-4, but Friedsam managed to break her serve to clinch the set. The Spaniard responded strongly in the second set as she jumped to a 5-1 lead. She remained in front until the end of the set to take it.
The two were evenly matched for most of the third set, eventually taking it to a tie-break. Badosa came out on top in it to complete a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (2) comeback victory.
Ons Jabeur vs Paula Badosa head-to-head
Badosa leads Jabeur 2-1 in the head-to-head in main draw matches. The Spaniard won their previous encounter at the 2022 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in three sets.
Ons Jabeur vs Paula Badosa odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Ons Jabeur vs Paula Badosa prediction
Badosa edged past Friedsam in a rather high-quality encounter. She raised her level when it mattered and occasionally fired some blistering winners from the forehand side. The 25-year-old blasted 46 winners while committing 30 unforced errors.
Jabeur's momentum got derailed by an untimely injury, and now she has to contend with a tough opponent in the very first match of her comeback. Badosa has performed quite well throughout the clay swing so far. Her winning record against the World No. 7 further sways the tide in her favor.
Badosa is patient enough to withstand Jabeur's crafty brand of tennis, mainly due to her commendable defensive skills. It all comes down to the Tunisian's fitness, but as of now, the Spaniard has the upper hand in this encounter.
Pick: Paula Badosa to win in three sets.
