Elise Mertens and Jule Niemeier will take on each other in the second round of the 2023 WTA Madrid Open on April 29.
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Elise Mertens overcame world No. 79 Rebecca Marino and won six of eight return games to win her first-round match, 6-3, 6-1. It is her fifth career win in four appearances at the Madrid Open, where she is making her first appearance since defeating Simona Halep and Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals in 2021. Late last year, she fell out of the top 40 for the first time since joining the tour in 2017. She has since recovered with a title in Monastir, a third-round appearance at the Australian Open, a semifinal in Monterrey, and a fourth-round appearance in Miami, though she did lose in the first round to Mirjam Bjorklund in Bogota.
Jule Niemeier began the week having lost all six of her previous first-round matches in straight sets. Her only victory in the last two and a half months came against Beatriz Haddad Maia in Stuttgart during the BJK Cup qualifiers. She has now broken out of her rut and advanced to the third round of the Madrid Open without dropping a set. Following a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Wang Xinyu, the German stunned recent Miami champion Petra Kvitova, 7-6, 6-1. She saved two set points in the tiebreak against the three-time Madrid champion Czech before cruising in the second set. It is her second top-10 victory of her career, having beaten Anett Kontaveit at Wimbledon last year.
| Elise Mertens vs Jule Niemeier | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | April 29, 2023 |
| Surface | Clay |
| Tournament | Madrid Open |
| Stage | Round of 32 |
| Time (India) | 2:30 pm |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Rebecca Marino | 6-3, 6-1 (W) |
| Mirjam Bjorklund | 1-6, 6-4, 6-7 (L) |
| Elena Rybakina | 6-4, 6-3 (L) |
| Petra Martic | 6-4, 6-3 (W) |
| Daria Kasatkina | 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 (W) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Petra Kvitova | 7-6, 6-1 (W) |
| Wang Xinyu | 6-4, 6-2 (W) |
| Elena Rybakina | 5-7, 3-6 (L) |
| Caty McNally | 4-6, 1-6 (L) |
| Anna Blinkova | 4-6, 1-6 (L) |
The two players will face each other for the first time in their careers in the round of 32 of the 2023 Madrid Open.
Elise Mertens and Jule Niemeier will take on each other in the second round of the 2023 WTA Madrid Open on April 29.
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