The two most recent Roland Garros women’s singles champions will square off on Monday in Madrid. It will be the first meeting between two of the sport’s most impressive athletes. Another first-time encounter features two of tennis’ most talented shot-makers: Belinda Bencic and Ons Jabeur. Three-time Madrid champion Petra Kvitova will also be in action, and 10 men’s first round matches will be played.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the two most prominent matches of the day, and note the other intriguing matchups on the schedule. Monday’s play will begin at 11:00am local time.
Ash Barty vs. Iga Swiatek – Not Before 7:00pm on Manolo Santana Stadium
Swiatek has now won 9 straight matches on clay, and eighteen consecutive sets. But no one has played at consistently a high level as Barty. Since the start of last season, the world No.1 is now 33-6 on all surfaces, with four titles. Despite missing nearly an entire year of competition, Ash’s form has not suffered at all. The 2019 French Open champion went 22 months without on playing on clay, yet won Stuttgart in just her second event on this surface. And that title run included three-set victories over three top 10 players: Karolina Pliskova, Elina Svitolina, and Aryna Sabalenka.
It should be most interesting to see how these two players’ eclectic, aggressive styles mix, in what will likely be the first of many head-to-head battles. As impressive as Swiatek has been of late, no one has been better than Barty at finding ways to win, even when her best tennis is escaping her. In what should be a tight match, Ash should be favored, as she has won 15 of her last 17 deciding sets.
Belinda Bencic (8) vs. Ons Jabeur – Not Before 3:00pm on Stadium 3
Bencic had a terrific 2019, reaching her first Major semifinal, and returning to the top 10 for the first time in over three years. But since that time, she’s lost almost as many matches as she’s won. By contrast, Jabeur has taken her career to new heights during the same span. She won 25 matches in the abbreviated 2020 season, and has already accumulated 20 wins in 2021. Notably, half of those 20 wins have come on clay. Just a few weeks ago, she won eight matches in the back-to-back events staged in Charleston. Jabeur’s winning ways make her the favorite against the eighth seed, as Bencic is just 3-3 on clay since last September. Jabeur’s confidence, combined with all of her variety, should be enough to advance.
Other Notable Matches on Monday:
Petra Kvitova (9) vs. Veronika Kudermetova – This is another first-time meeting. Kvitova is 31-7 lifetime in Madrid, while 24-year-old Kudermetova is 22-9 in 2021, with a title last month on the green clay of Charleston.
Anastasija Sevastova (Q) vs. Paula Badosa (WC) – Their only previous match was earlier this year in Abu Dhabi, with the 23-year-old Spaniard winning in three sets.
Cristian Garin (16) vs. Fernando Verdasco (WC) – Garin has won five titles on clay since April of 2019. 37-year-old Verdasco has only played two matches this year, and is coming off knee surgery. When they played two years ago on a hard court in Chengdu, Garin prevailed in three sets.
Su-Wei Hsieh and Elise Mertens (1) vs. Jelena Ostapenko and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – It will be interesting to see how this top-seeded new pairing fares, especially against two accomplished players like Ostapenko and Pavlyuchenkova.
Monday’s full Order of Play is here.