Angelique Kerber vs Petra Martić Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Indian Wells

Prediction published on 05/03/2024, 03:42  by Daniel Ngulu in Tennis Predictions

Angelique Kerber will end her absence from the Indian Wells Open with a game against unseeded Petra Martic in the first round. Kerber is playing with a protected ranking here as she continues with her slow return to the tour. The German former world number one is ranked outside the WTA top 600. This is after she spent the last year and a half away from the court as she became a mother. Her return has not been smooth by any means and the 36-year-old has lost six times in seven outings. But after having some memorable campaigns in Coachella in the past, she will be confident of a winning start. Kerber was a finalist in this event in 2019 and has produced two semifinal finishes. She defeated Martic in their only encounter to date which was 12 years ago at the French Open.

Petra Martic has two quarterfinal finishes at the BNP Paribas Open. The last was two seasons ago. She will hope to, at the very least, equal this feat in her 12th appearance. The Croat hasn’t had an exciting start to the year though has performed far better than Kerber. She has compiled a 4-5 record and all four wins have come on hard courts. The 33-year-old was last on the court in Dubai where she was eliminated in the second round. In her last two events, Martic has won her first-round tie. This coupled with Kerber’s poor start to the season should have the two-time tour champion confident of a win. Martic is currently ranked 58th in the WTA. The winner here will play 10th seed Jelena Ostapenko in the second round.