Upcoming Match-ups

Mertens vs Sabalenka Odds & Preview: WTA Linz Open Finals

Hayley Graham

by Hayley Graham in Tennis

Updated Mar 3, 2021 · 1:36 PM PST

Tennis Betting
Can Aryna Sabalenka cash in as the favorite for Sunday's Silicon Valley Classic final? Photo by Keith Allison (Flickr) [CC License].
  • The WTA Linz Open final will be played Sunday, November 15th at 9:00 ET
  • Long-time doubles partners Aryna Sabalenka and Elise Mertens will face each other
  • See below for a preview of the match and our best bet

To no one’s surprise, the top two seeds of the tournament will be competing for the Linz Open trophy on Sunday. But what makes this possibly the most interesting match of the tournament is that Mertens and Sabalenka are double partners, and have been since the beginning of 2019. They’ve also been very successful since teaming up together.

Mertens vs Sabalenka Linz Open Final Odds

Player Spread Moneyline Total
Elise Mertens +1.5 (-110) +114 U 21.5 (-103)
Aryna Sabalenka -1.5 (-115) -141 O 21.5 (-124)

Odds taken Nov. 14 from DraftKings

Mertens Has Been Impressive

Second seed Mertens saw herself down a set against her semifinal opponent Ekaterina Alexandrova before earning her place in the finals. Going into the match, many had Alexandrova the favorite to win the match. Prior to the match, Alexandrova had yet to drop a set in the tournament, and started off strong on the indoor court surface that she strives on.

Mertens will now be playing in her second final of 2020 after defeating fourth seed and 2018 runner-up 2-6, 6-1, 7-5.

While many players have struggled at least a little bit since the tennis season resumed after the COVID-19 shutdown, Mertens has actually been playing some of her best tennis, including a second straight US Open quarterfinal appearance.

In a match where both players had their moments, Mertens was able outplay Alexandrova, and force her opponent to commit a few unforced errors, winning on one of Alexandrova’s backhand errors.

Sabalenka the Favorite

Top seed in the tournament Sabalenka has officially extended her winning streak to eight in a row after defeating her semifinal opponent Barbora Krejcikova 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in just over two hours to earn herself a spot in the final. With this win, she also secured herself a Top 10 rank finish to the year.

She eased her way into the semifinals not having lost a set all week. This match gave her some trouble, seeing Krejcikova take the second set, who was able to come back from 2-0 and break Sabalenka at love. In the third set, Sabalenka was able to win on her first match point that she faced, earning her spot in the finals.

Head-to-Head

These two players have seen each other five times before, most recently coming earlier this year in Dubai during the round of 16 where Sabalenka won in straight sets. Sabalenka has won their past two meetings.

As I mentioned above, these two are currently doubles partners, and have won four double titles together, including the 2019 US Open championship. These two are extremely familiar and friendly with each other.

Mertens vs Sabalenka Stats

Mertens
VS
Sabalenka
21 WTA Standing 11
2 Head-to-Head wins 3
3 Sets Dropped at 2020 Linz Open 1
39 Games Lost at 2020 Linz Open 31

Best Bet

In what will be an extremely tight finals, it’s honestly anyone’s match to take. Sabalenka has the slight upper hand with their head-to-head record, but both have played comparable tennis this tournament.

Neither player had an easy semifinal match, but have had relatively similar routes to the finals. Sabalenka has the stronger serve between the two, but Mertens is a pretty good returner. Interestingly enough, Sabalenka’s baseline game is stronger than Mertens, but Mertens is able to volley her way into many of her points throughout a match.

Sabalenka looks to win her third title of the year, which would tie her with Simona Halep for the most title wins this season. Mertens is looking to continue her success on the second half of the year and end the year strong.

Best Bet: Sabalenka in three sets

Author Image