tennis | Wednesday, August 10, 2022 7:27 AM

Wednesday Tennis Best Bet: WTA Toronto, Leylah Fernandez vs Beatriz Haddad Maia

Jon Reid

Leylah Fernandez vs Beatriz Haddad Maia Best Bet: Wednesday, August 10th

For the second consecutive match, it’s a fellow southpaw for Leylah Fernandez, as she takes on world No. 24 Beatriz Haddad Maia.

She’ll look to reach the third round in front of a supportive home crowd in Toronto

In this article:

Leylah Fernandez vs Beatriz Haddad Maia Preview
Leylah Fernandez vs Beatriz Haddad Maia Best Bet

Leylah Fernandez vs Beatriz Haddad Maia Preview

August 10th, 19:30 UK Time

After a successful first match back from an injury hiatus, Fernandez was able to take down Australia’s Storm Sanders in three sets in her opening match in Toronto. It was her first match since the French Open at the end of May, and while her patented consistency was on point, the pace wasn’t there in her baseline game.

Taking on one of 2022’s breakout stars in Haddad Maia, I’m not so certain that the Canadian should be the favourite.

Haddad Maia has the bigger all-round game, yet also has the consistency to stick with Fernandez in prolonged rallies. Her movement is also up to par, and isn’t something that Fernandez can exploit with her ability to move the ball around the court.

The Brazilian is also coming off a win against another fellow southpaw in the first round, so dealing with the lefty game of Fernandez shouldn’t take too much adjusting.

Statistically, the two are neck-and-neck in terms of hold plus break percentage on hard courts over the last 52 weeks, and this is much closer to a 50-50 proposition than the odds indicate.

Leylah Fernandez vs Beatriz Haddad Maia Best Bet

With the matchup being a very close one, and the young Canadian still returning from a prolonged injury absence, I’m more than happy to back Haddad Maia in this position.

If Fernandez was in good form, I’d be much more inclined to believe this pricing was accurate. In this instance, I’ll look to take advantage of the mispricing of this matchup.