Damien Kayat previews Ons Jabeur vs Alycia and Madison Keys vs Emma Navarro in Selected Round of 32 Matches of the Guadalajara Open Akron on the 20th of September 2023.
2023 WTA Tour
WTA 1000
Guadalajara Open Akron
Panamerican Tennis Centre, Zapopan, Mexico (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Selected Round of 32 Matches – 20th September
Ons Jabeur 21/100 | Alycia Parks 29/10
Many of the top-level female players have opted out of this week’s WTA 1000 event due to a hectic North American hardcourt schedule. This has left a distinctly out-of-form Ons Jabeur as the surprise top seed going into the Guadalajara Open.
A three-time Grand Slam finalist over the last 15 months, Ons Jabeur is still recovering from the psychological impact of that devastating Wimbledon final defeat to Marketa Vondrousova.
That was probably compounded by the fact that she has had a few niggles throughout the season, requiring minor knee surgery towards the beginning of the year. And she comes into this event off the back of some really disappointing results.
She was comprehensively beaten by Qinwin Zheng in the US Open 4th round before a dismal opening-round defeat to Potapova in San Diego last week. She almost looks like prime upset fodder at this moment of time. Can 22-year-old American Alycia Parks rise up to that task?
Young American Alycia Parks will be hoping to capitalize on this recent surge in American tennis and enjoy a positive end to her season. Parks has actually quietly accumulated a nice little season, winning her first title in Lyon and breaking into the top 50 in the world for the first time in her career.
She has a powerful serve and really crisp groundstrokes. Having said that, she has some way to go in terms of her mobility and she will need to improve her agility If she wishes to rise further in the game. She doesn’t come into this match in the greatest from.
But look closer. She lost to 12th seed Belinda Bencic in a thrilling three-set clash in Montreal. She also threw away a one-set lead to 13th seed Daria Kasatkina at the US Open. So, there have been glimpses of her quality even if the results haven’t quite been there. That is actually quite enticing when she is coming up against an out-of-form Ons Jabeur.
Verdict: Parks to win
Jabeur leads Parks 2-0 in their head-to-head matches. The Tunisian easily beat the American when they last met in last year’s Berlin Open. I really think it’s worth it to opt for the upset here (especially after I pulled that Navarro-Sakkari upset out of nowhere last week).
Jabeur has been looking sluggish on court and Parks has been serving brilliantly, firing 11 aces in her opening round victory against compatriot Lauren Davies.
Madison Keys 24/100 | Emma Navarro 13/5
This will be the first time that Madison Keys has taken the court since her somewhat heartbreaking US Open semi-final defeat to Aryna Sabalenka. I knew she would put in a strong showing in New York as she tends to save her best tennis for Grand Slam level.
But I wasn’t surprised when she decided to decompress and skip San Diego. Keys has had a very solid season, reaching the semi-finals of the US Open and the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. She also won her 7th WTA title in Birmingham and she currently sits 9th in the Race to the WTA Finals in Cancun standings.
So, she will be hugely motivated to pick up some points in a week where many of the higher-ranked players are absent.
Emma Navarro’s brilliant run in San Diego last week is really the culmination of a season of steady improvement. The 22-year-old American entered San Diego with a 30-20 record for the season (across all formats).
She enjoyed title-winning runs at the ITF W25 Naples, W100 Charlston and W60 Charlottesville. She also reached her maiden tour-level semi-final at the Bad Homburg Open before an encouraging 3rd round run in Cincinnati. And I love the way she bounced back from a disappointing first-round exit at Flushing Meadows with that exceptional semi-final run in San Diego.
She was brilliant last week, showing plenty of grit and determination against more powerful and established players. Her courageous quarterfinal victory over Maria Sakkari was followed by a narrow semi-final defeat to the rejuvenated Sofia Kenin. Can she elevate her game in this slightly decimated WTA 1000 field?
Verdict: Keys to win in straight-sets
Keys won their only previous encounter in straight-sets at this year’s Charleston Open. And I expect more of the same this time. Keys will be hugely motivated to potentially reach the WTA Finals for just the 2nd time in her career.
Navarro beat a very inconsistent Sakkari and went toe-to-toe with a versatile Kenin. But Keys hits a monstrous ball and could overwhelm the dogged baseliner.
