Another intriguing first-round clash at the 2016 French Open is in store for your viewing and betting pleasure, when Angelique Kerber takes on Kiki Bertens. The last and only time that these two encountered each other was at this year’s Miami Masters, where Bertens exited the match midway through the third and final set. How will things unfold this time around? Read on below for a detailed breakdown of this bout.
For more tennis action, click here to see our preview of another first-round matchup between Serena Williams and Magdalena Rybarikova.
Angelique Kerber is undoubtedly one of the top contenders at Roland Garros. She’s been having a spectacular year after all, winning 23 of her first 30 matches thus far. And that stretch includes her most celebrated victory at the Australian Open, where she defeated Serena Williams in final and earned her first ever Grand Slam title.
That being said, Kerber should be able to ease past Kiki Bertens in the opening round. The 28-year-old German won’t just have the upper-hand in experience and form, but in momentum as well. Kerber has won seven of her previous 10 matches on clay, which includes a commanding victory (6-4, 6-0) over Laura Siegmund in the finals at Stuttgart.
Kerber, who currently ranks No. 3 in the WTA rankings, has been eliminated three times (2011, 2008 and 2007) during the first round at Roland Garros.
Betting on Kiki Bertens
Kiki Bertens is talented, but still has a lot of growing up to do before she reaches her full potential or wins her first major tournament. Still though, the 24-year-old Dutch could surprise us with a sensational performance against Angelique Kerber in the first round of the 2016 French Open.
Despite Bertens’ current season record (12-8), she’s bound to be bursting with confidence heading into this matchup thanks to a successful campaign at Nuremberg. She emerged as the champion in that particular tournament, beating Mariana Duque-Marino in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, in the final round. That victory allowed Bertens to lift the second trophy of her young career.
Another reason to be optimistic about Bertens’ chances of pulling off an upset is the fact that she’s fared pretty well on clay lately. She has won eight of her last 10 matches on the aforementioned surface.
Bertens, however, has never made it past the first round at Roland Garros.
