Winner to face top seed Zheng Qinwen in Round-2.
American rising star McCartney Kessler will take on home favourite Francesca Jones at the WTA-500 in Queen’s Club on Tuesday. The 24-year-old Brit will favour her chances due to the backing of the crowd. However, Kessler starts as the favourite on paper, courtesy the WTA Rankings. Who will make it through to the Round of 16 at the HSBC Championships?
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The head to head record between Kessler and Jones is currently 0-0. This will be the first meeting in their young careers. While the American is ranked considerably higher, she has faced some setbacks in the recent past. The 25-year-old has not a main draw match in her last three tournaments – which spells worrisome moments for her against someone who will receive unwavering support on Tuesday.
Despite the recent struggles, Kessler is at a career-high WTA Ranking of No. 42 in the world. Meanwhile, her British counterpart is ranked 117th so far – four spots behind her career-best. In the recently concluded French Open, Jones fell in the final hurdle of qualifying. On the other hand, Kessler lost 5-7 6-7(3) in the Round of 128 to Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
Francesca Jones holds a 2-2 record on grass over the past year. The British sensation has won nearly 77% of her service games during this time, and converted 38% break point opportunities. In comparison, McCartney Kessler has a partially superior 3-1 record on this surface in the recent past. She wins 36% return games, which is a fairly solid statistic. Provided she can apply pressure to Jones’ serve early on, it will ameliorate her chances of succeeding.
| McCartney Kessler | Category | Francesca Jones |
| 0 | Grand Slams | 0 |
| 2 | WTA Singles Titles | 0 |
| 0 | WTA Doubles Titles | 0 |
| 0 | WTA-1000 Titles | 0 |
| – | Olympics Best Performance | – |
| No. 42 | Current World Ranking | No. 117 |
Despite the London faithful backing their homegrown talent, there is a high probability of Kessler defeating Jones in this tight opening round encounter. The winner of this match will face a massive obstacle in the next round – as top seed Zheng Qinwen awaits.
Prediction: McCartney Kessler in three sets.
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Francesca Jones starts as the underdog in terms of the money line. The market is skewed in favour of the American, predicting that she could win in straight sets. There is not much fluctuation at the moment. Here are the odds:
McCartney Kessler Win: -165
Francesca Jones Win: +130
(According to BetMGM)
