tennis | Monday, September 12, 2022 7:38 AM

Monday Tennis Best Bet: WTA Portoroz, Beatriz Haddad Maia vs. Clara Tauson

Jon Reid

Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Clara Tauson Best Bet: Monday, September 12th

The final grand slam of the season may be over, but there are still a few months of tennis left before the season wraps up.

Without as many people paying nearly as much attention to the sport and many lesser-known players entering these events, there is often value to be found in these final months.

For Monday’s selection from the WTA events, we head to Portoroz, Slovenia for the match between Beatriz Haddad Maia and young gun Clara Tauson.

In this article:

Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Clara Tauson Preview
Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Clara Tauson Best Bet

Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Clara Tauson Preview

September 12, 14:30 UK Time

A fun match to get things going on Monday in the main draw from Portoroz as both of these women are able to absolutely crunch the ball.

With both being relatively tall and possessing strong serves, along with big groundstrokes from the baseline, it’s all about finding what separates the two here in trying to find the value.

With the Brazilian being in much better form throughout the season across all surfaces, and being far more consistent in her play, she should be a much larger favourite in this matchup for my money.

Moreover, while Tauson is far more error-prone than Haddad Maia, she’s also had lingering injury issues this year that have really hampered her ability to string wins together. With an already-erratic style and the inability to find a rhythm as her schedule has been constantly interrupted by time off to recover, I’m not sure why she’s only a short underdog here.

Haddad Maia has defeated some of the world’s top players and won titles in 2022. She’s refined her game to a point that she’s a deserved member of the world’s top-15.

She’ll be disappointed in her last two results on a hard court, but it’s only been about a month since she finished as the runner–up at the 1000-level event in Toronto.

Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Clara Tauson Best Bet

Considering Haddad Maia won’t be intimidated by the big hitting of Tauson, while also being the more well-rounded player who’s had a far better year, I have her as the strong favourite in this one.

It’s worth noting that Tauson’s top level is enough to beat anyone in the women’s game on any given day, but that level has been seen very few times this season and is tough to sustain even when she has managed to find it.

I’ll be backing the Brazilian to move on in the draw in this one.