We’re back at it with a WTA 1000 tournament this week North of the border with the 2023 Canadian Open in Montreal, Quebec.
In the Round of 64, there is quite an interesting matchup between world No.13 Beatriz Haddad Maia and Spaniard Paula Badosa, who has just come back from injury after a disappointing Wimbledon. The first serve is scheduled for 11 AM ET here between the two.
Below, we’ll preview the match, take a look at some odds, and highlight the recent form for both players.
This will be the third-ever meeting between Haddad Maia and Badosa. In fact, both came in 2023. Badosa beat Haddad Maia in the Adelaide quarters leading up to the Aussie Open, but the Sao Paulo native responded with a straight-sets victory in Qatar a month later.
Just like Badosa, Haddad Maia battled some injuries during the grass season. She actually impressed at the All-England Club and even made it all the way to the Round of 16 but a health issue forced the Brazilian to withdraw in the first set of her match against Elena Rybakina.
Certainly not ideal considering the run she was on. Unfortunately, the exact same thing happened at Rothesay in the Round of 16 prior to Wimbledon. One can only hope Haddad Maia can stay healthy in Montreal.
Regardless, she’s had some respectable results this year. Haddad Maia made the semifinals at the French Open before falling to Iga Swiatek. She also progressed to several other quarterfinals and semis in various other tournaments, including the Qatar Open, Abu Dhabi Open, Adelaide International, and others.
There’s a track record of success in 23’ for Haddad Maia, it’s just a matter of steering clear of injuries. She also impressed in a big way in the 2022 edition of this tournament, losing in the final in three sets to Simona Halep, even beating Swiatek along the way during that run. Haddad deserves to be the -140 favorite at 888sport.
Injuries and inconsistent play have been the story of Badosa’s 2023 season. She had to skip the French Open after doing well during the clay court season and then ultimately returned for Wimbledon, but the health problems crept up again. The Spaniard won her first match before being forced to retire in the round of 64 against Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk. At this point, it’s just a matter of staying on the court and finding her previous form.
Badosa’s best finish of the campaign was in Adelaide, advancing to the semifinals. She was forced to miss the Aussie Open shortly after that too, however after a walkover in the last four of the previous tourney. Currently ranked No. 33 on the WTA Tour, Badosa’s highest ranking was No. 2 in April of last year.
She’s more than capable of getting back there, but as of right now, it’s understandable why she’s an underdog against Haddad Maia at most tennis betting sites.
