Vera Zvonareva vs Elise Mertens
12th November from 1000hrs
Tennis – Austria – WTA Linz
Pick Mertens 2-0 set betting
Bookmaker Unibet
Odds: 10/11 odds taken 22:15 GMT Wednesday 11th November
This will be second round action at WTA Linz and it is the first meeting betten Vera Zvonarveva and Elise Mertens.
Mertens is just outside of the top twenty ranked players in the world and will head into this clash as the favourite.
But Zvonareva looked pretty sharp for her opening round match. Will the experienced Ruissan be able to pull off an upset?
Table of Contents
Vera Zvonareva Preview – Can veteran Zvonareva prevail in Austria?
36 year old Vera Zvonareva is back in the world top fifty in what has been quite the comeback from her.
In her prime she reached the final of Wimbledon and the US Open in 2010, but never managed to convert on either of those occasions.
The Russian is back on the circuit and opened her account in Austria this week with a good 6-4 6-2 win over Marta Kostyuk.
That was pretty straight forward from Zvonareva who is the 19/10 underdog in the match outright for this second round fixture against Mertens* (odds taken 22:15 GMT Wednesday 11th November).
There have been good glimpses of her ability still being there this year.
The Russian made it to the round of sixteen at the Western & Southern Open in New York in August.
She recently reached the final of an ITF event in Turkey, losing in the final to Kaia Kanepi, but Zvonareva had been playing well throughout that event.
This is naturally a much tougher task against Elise Mertens in a higher-level tournament for Zvonareva.
Zvonarevera will be meeting Mertens for the first time in her career.
For tennis betting on Zvonareva, who is a sizable underdog for this match, a Mertens 2-0 set betting option is at 10/11 odds-on*(odds taken 22:15 GMT Wednesday 11th November).
That’s just to show the challenge that is going to be ahead of the Russian on Thursday at WTA Linz.
Elise Mertens Preview – Mertens to hold steady against Zvonareva
There was an early scare for Elise Mertens in the first round of WTA Linz this week.
Beligan had dropped the opening set of her match against Anhelina Kalinina 2-6.
But then Mertens kicked into gear to turn the match around and she powered through the final two sets, dropping just three games in total.
So maybe it was just getting herself warmed up into proceedings.
Mertens lost in the third round of Roland Garros and the only event since then that she has played was in late October in the Czech Republic.
In Ostrava, Mertens won her first two matches before being toppled by Victoria Azarenka in the quarter finals.
For this second round match against Zvonareva, Mertens is at 2/5 odds-on for tennis betting* (odds taken 22:15 GMT Wednesday 11th November).
So there’s little value there.
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Elise Mertens is a very difficult player to go against when she is on her game. If she gets off to a quick start here, we see her cruising.
It’s all about her picking up where she left off in the first round.
A Mertens -3.5 Games Handicap is worth a look at 4/5* (odds taken 22:15 GMT Wednesday 11th November).
Heading into WTA Linz, Mertens was on a 30/12 win/loss record for 2020.
Mertens has actually been on the opposite side of the net to Zvonareva, but only in doubles fixtures. Mertens is 2-1 up in the head to head from those meetings.
Vera Zvonareva vs Elise Mertens Betting Advice
We have to stick with a fairly routine victory for Elise Mertens in this one. We have to go beyond the match outright for value however.
A Mertens 2-0 set betting option is at 10/11 and that looks like a solid option to take on for tennis betting* (odds taken 22:15 GMT Wednesday 11th November).
Key Facts – Vera Zvonareva vs Elise Mertens Betting Tip
- Vera Zvonareva meets Mertens for the first time
- Vera Zvonareva won her first round match in straight sets
- Elise Mertens fought back from a set down in the opening round to prevail
Zvonareva is not a player in her prime and the last couple of times that she has gone up against stronger players, she has come up short.
That was against Johanna Konta at the Western & Southern Open in August and then against Daria Kasatkina in Rome in late September.
We think the Russian falls short.
The best betting odds for Vera Zvonareva vs Elise Mertens
Vera Zvonareva to win: 7/4 at Bet365
Elise Mertens to win: 2/5 at Bet365
