Egypt’s Mayar Sherif will take on Elise Mertens in the Round of 16 at the Madrid Open

Mayar Sherif has had a dream run so far at the Madrid Open. She received a walkover mid-way through her first encounter against Camila Giorgi and she has certainly made it count. In the second round, Sherif registered a comprehensive 6-2, 7-6 victory against the No 30 seed Anhelina Kalinina.

She didn’t just stop there and followed it up with another major upset against 5th seed Caroline Garcia. The 26-year-old Egyptian will certainly face another tough challenge against Elise Mertens but she has already shown that she is capable of beating anyone on her day.

Elise Mertens’ form coming into this match at Madrid Open

Mertens has been in fine form and is coming into this encounter at the back of two thoroughly impressive victories. She began her campaign with a 6-3, 6-1 victory against Rebecca Marino and then beat Jule Niemeier 6-3, 6-4 to progress to the Round of 16. Mertens is seeded No.24 in the tournament and she will be aiming to continue her good form and go deep into the tournament.

The Belgian star has lacked consistency so far this season and she will be looking to rectify that in Madrid. She is yet to win any silverware this year but her best performance came at the Monterrey Open in March, when she reached the semi-finals before eventually losing to top seed Caroline Garcia. Mertens is playing both singles and doubles at the Madrid Open and it remains to be seen how she manages the workload to progress further in the tournament.

Details:

Date – Monday, 1st May

Court Type – Clay outdoor surface

Telecast – Tennis Channel

Start Time – To be Announced

Location – Madrid, Spain

Match details – Round of 16 match

Head to head and Predictions

Sherif and Mertens have never played each other before on the WTA tour. This is the first professional head-to-head clash between the two players. Mertens is the clear favourite going into this match both in terms of experience and rankings. It will be a tough ask for Sherif in this encounter but she is expected to pose a tough challenge. However, we predict the Belgian star to see off Sherif’s challenge and win comfortably in straight sets.

More Tennis news

• Borna Coric 2022 – Net Worth, Salary, Records, and Endorsements
• Novak Djokovic’s brother makes Roger Federer promise ahead of Serbian Open
• Naomi Osaka responds to botching Jennifer Brady’s name after AO Open final win

Follow our dedicated Tennis page for instant Tennis news and updates