Elise Mertens vs Emma Raducanu Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Washington Citi Open

Prediction published on 28/07/2024, 07:20  by Ian John | Modified on 28/07/2024 at 12:08 in Tennis Predictions

Eighth-seeded Belgian Elise Mertens faces Britain’s Emma Raducanu in an eye-catching match in the first round of the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington. Will our prediction favour the Belgian right-hander, or will Raducanu continue her good progress as she climbs back up the WTA rankings?

Both Mertens and Raducanu eschewed the opportunity to play a tournament last week, which means that for Mertens, it will be the second consecutive match she has faced Raducanu. In their second-round game at Wimbledon, Raducanu was a comfortable winner in straight sets.

This match is on hard courts, and Mertens will be hoping to improve on her first-round exit in the 2023 tournament when Daria Kasatkina beat her. She began the year well, reaching the final in Hobart before losing to Emma Navarro, but she has not progressed beyond the quarterfinal stage in any tournament since. 

The Belgian has lost five of her last eight matches and dropped to 35th in the WTA Rankings at the start of this tournament. 

After her dramatic 2021 US Open success, Emma Raducanu had a couple of injury-hit years, but 2024 saw her fitter and stronger. Her form has seen her rapidly climb the WTA rankings, rising from 301st at the start of 2024 to 93rd currently. 

Her year to date saw a relatively slow start on the hard courts, but she reached the quarterfinal in Stuttgart in clay, losing to top seed Iga Swiatek and has reached the semi-final at Nottingham and the quarter-final at Eastbourne.

After beating Mertens at Wimbledon, Raducanu reached the fourth round before losing to Lulu Sun in three sets. The British start has won eight of her last 11 matches.