Lexington 2020: Sloane Stephens vs Leylah Fernandez preview, head-to-head & prediction | Top Seed Open

Sloane Stephens has endured a torrid season and a half coming into the Lexington Open. The American, ranked No. 37 in the world, hasn’t done justice to her potential lately and has suffered a string of early exits at the Grand Slams - the most shocking of which was her US Open first round defeat to qualifier Anna Kalinskaya last year.

Sloane Stephens’ nightmare run continued in 2020 as she saw herself losing to unseeded Zhang Shuai in the opening round of the Australian Open. Before tennis came to a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Stephens played a couple more tournaments but once again got knocked out in the early stages. The former US Open champion lost to Renata Zarazua in the opening round of the Mexican Open and to Leylah Fernandez in the Monterrey Open.

Interestingly, Stephens is all set to face Fernandez again, in the first round of the Top Seed Open at Lexington.

Leylah Fernandez will be looking to continue her good record against Sloane Stephens

Leylah Fernandez’ form and progress over the last couple of years paints a totally different picture to that of Stephens. The 17-year-old saw a rise of almost 200 spots in the WTA rankings last year, where she also won the French Open junior title.

The young Canadian continued her fine form in 2020 by registering two of the biggest victories of her career, beating Belinda Bencic in the Fed Cup qualifiers and Sloane Stephens in Monterrey.

Sloane Stephens vs Leylah Fernandez head-to-head

Sloane Stephens will be looking to improve on her torrid form

Leylah Fernandez got the better of Sloane Stephens in their only encounter so far. The duo faced each other back in March this year, which saw the World No. 120 winning by a scoreline of 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3.

Sloane Stephens boasts of a dismal 4-8 win-loss record this year, and will be extremely wary of her tactically sound opponent. Leylah Fernandez is known to make excellent use of her wide serve to knock right-handers out of position and open up the court for the next shot. Her groundstrokes can match up to anyone on tour, as they often have great accuracy and angles to handcuff the opponent.

Stephens on her part will look to employ her depth-heavy groundstrokes to nullify Fernandez’ weakness - her defence. The American's superior net-play could also aid her in that cause.

Both players have generally solid serves, which could make service games quite crucial. It wouldn't be wrong to say that a single break of serve in each set could dictate the outcome of the match.

Sloane Stephens vs Leylah Fernandez prediction

By virtue of experience and peak ability, Sloane Stephens ought to be the overwhelming favorite for this clash. However, when factors such as form, playing style and confidence come in, the gritty southpaw from Canada emerges as a solid pick too.

Stephens would be looking to avenge her previous loss to Fernandez, but the latter’s quality and confidence could see her through.

Prediction: Leylah Fernandez to win in three sets.