There comes that moment, the quarterfinals of the WTA 125 Limoges. Already, it promises to be exciting, with two of the best upcoming talent in the country clashing - Manon Leonard facing Elsa Jacquemot. Both players have given indications of quality throughout the tournament, which sets up this interesting clash. Indeed, with their different styles and same hunger, the courts of Limoges shall see contest after contest of grit, talent, and ambition.
I will dive deep into their recent form, head-to-head records, playing styles, and possible tactics in this preview before landing a fit prediction of what we can expect from this match-up.
Claim Welcome BonusManon Leonard: The Underdog with Momentum
Leonard comes into the quarter-finals of WTA 228 as an underdog but has continuously proved her mettle in such roles. Three wins and seven losses may sound unimpressive at first, but all her losses were against far more experienced and established players. So far this week in Limoges, Leonard has proven to be amazing.
Her ability to adapt under pressure was demonstrated against Selena Janicijevic (6-4, 6-3) and Tamara Korpatsch (6-7, 1-6). In this first game, it was the forward break points that highlighted her in the rallies with long and deep groundstrokes. Korpatsch was torn apart after the tight first set when Leonard went into total control.
As with the opponent, Leonard makes intelligent shot making, and her counterpunch is also accurate. SHe thrives in long rallies to where her opponents would test the last of their patience. She's up 2-0 on Jacquemot in the head-to-head, giving her a psychological edge, and she will aim to replicate those past wins with equal measures of guts and sharp tactics.
Elsa Jacquemot: The Rising Star with Firepower
Rank WTA 146, Elsa Jacquemot has climbed up to become an increasingly promising French women's tennis future star. Currently, her form shows five wins against four losses, a sign of a player coping with finding consistency and adapting her naturally aggressive style.
In Limoges, Jacquemot has scored brownie points. Showcasing her court command, she won straight sets from Anastasia Tikhonova (6-4, 6-4) and Anastasia Zakharova (6-1, 6-2). Against Zakharova, her precision serving made it easy to win a high percentage of first-serve points while her groundstrokes consistently found the corners of the court.
Jacquemot is all about the big forehand and short ball attack strokes. He also enjoys early rhythm control and gets opponents on the back foot. Thus, while she loses out head to head, her vastly superior recent-form and ranking make her a hot favorite.
Expert Betting Tips
This quarterfinal provides interesting contrasts in styles. On the one hand, there is Jacquemot great attacking shot-making at that fast pace; on the other hand, there is Leonard's great counterpunching plus rally endurance. Thus, Leonard's chances may be enhanced at probably the slower indoor courts at Limoges, which may mean more time into constructing points and longer exchanges as well for Jacquemot.
On the downside, Jacquemot's incendiary qualities cannot be underestimated. If she serves well and keeps creating first strikes of tennis, she can just be so much a match to Leonard at first. The mental one is probably going to be a whole lot different. Sure, Leonard has a good head-to-head advantage at 2-0, but both those matches were held before Jacquemot was such a different player.
A fight is most likely to be fierce, but at the end, I see Jacquemot reigning after three sets. The aggressive game coupled with the present form should give her some edge, though the determination of Leonard will make it not such a free win.
- Over 19.5 Games @ 1.66 Odds
- Over 20.5 Games @ 1.87 Odds
- Elsa Jacquemot Wins 2-1 @ 4.00 Odds
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