America’s Sloane Stephens takes on Belgium’s Elise Mertens in the R64 of the Madrid Open at La Caja Majica in just a few hours from now. Both the tennis stars have had some extraordinary results in their favor this year and they will look to repeat the same in Madrid. Stephens recently defeated Poland’s Magda Linette in the finals of the Open de Rouen. She is currently on a six-match unbeaten run on clay. Can Mertens end her incredible clay court run in their next match?

Elise Mertens had a great start to her season this year. She reached the finals of the Hobart International earlier this year. After that she made two QF runs in the singles event of the rest of her tournaments this year. Mertens will now be looking forward to making yet another deep run in Madrid.

Sloane Stephens vs Elise Mertens: Preview

Sloane Stephens didn’t have a great start to her season, but she pulled up her socks just before entering the Madrid event. She defeated Linette by 6-1,2-6,6-2 in the finals of the Open de Rouen and then got off to a winning start at the Madrid Open as well. In her previous match, she managed to overcome the Italian hurdle, Martina Trevisan in a grueling three-setter. It took Stephens 3 hours and 16 minutes to defeat Trevisan by a 6-3,5-7,6-4 margin. Throughout the match, she hit only two aces and committed a double fault.

Her first serve win percentage against the Italian was 63% while it dropped to 48% on her second serve. Stephens converted only six of her twenty-one breakpoints and won eleven of her service games against Trevisan. Although Stephens is playing well on the clay courts at the moment, she has managed to hit only sixteen aces so far this season. But has committed a total of thirty-four double faults. This is surely going to be a major concern for her while heading towards this intriguing encounter against the Belgian.

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Elise Mertens, on the other hand, is entering this match after her R16 defeat to world number one, Iga Swiatek, at the Stuttgart Open. Swiatek defeated Mertens by 6-3,6-4 in her previous match. Looking at the numbers from that faceoff, Elise Mertens had managed to hit only a single ace and committed two double faults against the Polish tennis star. But her first serve percentage was 74% and she won 58% of her first serve against Swiatek. However, the most concerning numbers from that match were she only converted two of seven break points. But Mertens won five of her service games against the world number one.

The 28-year-old Belgian has hit quite a few aces (70) so far this season. But she committed 97 double faults, which clearly depicts she needs to have more control and precision during her serves. Can she bring out the best of her against Sloane Stephens? Well, she has already done it twice previously.

Stephens vs Mertens: Head-to-Head

Both of them have been on the tour for quite some time now. Currently, they are leveled at 2-2 in their H2H. Elise Mertens won their first encounter by 7-6,6-2 at the 2018 Cincinnati Masters. But Sloane Stephens managed to take her revenge over the Beligian with a similar two-set victory at the R16 of the 2018 US Open. Then five years later, the American took the lead in their head-to-heads with a victory at the San Diego Open. Mertens then recently pulled out an equalizer with a victory in the Brisbane International earlier this year.

She defeated Stephens by 2-6,6-1,6-3 in the first-round match of the tournament. Mertens fired five aces compared to only one by Stephens in the entire game. The Belgian had committed four double faults, while the American managed to put a check on that by committing only two double faults. Mertens had a better first-serve and second-serve win percentage over Stephens in that match. She converted five of eight breakpoints, while Stephens managed to convert three of her five breakpoints. But who will have the edge in their next faceoff?

Prediction: Stephens to take the lead in their head-to-head stats

Elise Mertens (29) is currently ranked four places above Sloane Stephens (33). However, Sloane Stephens is now looking like a real force to reckon with on the clay courts. Stephens currently has a win-loss record of 15-9 this season, while Mertens has a record of 13-10. Elise Mertens reached the QF of this tournament in 2021, whereas the American tennis star reached the SF of this tournament in 2019. Stephens loves to play on the clay courts but her best results have come on the hard courts. However, she reached the finals of the French Open in 2018.

Sloane Stephens is an all-court player, her athleticism and powerful shots are two of the biggest weapons in her game. While Elise Mertens is a baseline player who loves to blend her excellent defensive skills with aggressive shot-taking abilities. Her biggest weapon is her pinpoint accuracy in returning the serves, Mertens has the capability to neutralize powerful first serve. But if we look at the current form and their records in big tournaments over the past, Sloane Stephens looks to have a clear edge in this battle. So, the Floridian all the way!