Ons Jabeur vs Lucia Bronzetti Prediction – Tennis Picks 10-12-2023

Fourth seed Ons Jabeur will take on Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti in the round of 16 of the 2023 Zhengzhou Open. The match will be played on Thursday, October 12, 2023.

Ons Jabeur had a bye in the first round of the Zhengzhou Open by virtue of being the fourth seed. She will start her campaign at the WTA 500 event against Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti who was a victor on Day 1 of the tournament. The Tunisian is keen to bounce back from last week’s disappointing early exit at the China Open. She fell to a straight sets defeat at the hands of Marta Kostyuk. Jabeur led 5-3 at one point in the first set, but could not serve for it, and watched in agony as the match slipped through her fingers. But at least on a positive note, that defeat didn’t harm her chances in the grand scheme as Jabeur qualified for the WTA Finals following Maria Sakkari’s defeat to Coco Gauff at the same tournament.

Lucia Bronzetti, meanwhile, has put together a fine season on the WTA Tour after a tough start to the year. The 24-year-old won her first Tour-level title on the clay in Rabat just prior to the French Open and even touched the world’s Top 50 momentarily at the start of July following a runner-up finish on grass in Bad Homburg. What has been of immense surprise is that Bronzetti, for most of her career has been a clay-court specialist, but has showcased her penchant for all surfaces this season. Her record on hard courts in the second half of the season is very impressive, managing back-to-back quarterfinals in Guangzhou and Ningbo during the Asian swing.

Ons Jabeur dropped just five games against Lucia Bronzetti in their only career meeting at this year’s French Open. But it has to be noted that the matchup happened immediately after the Italian won in Rabat. The physical and emotional toil during the week, not to forget the effects of jet lag certainly impacted Bronzetti’s performance in Paris. Bronzetti’s improvement since is conspicuous, but I can’t see the outcome changing in this match. Jabeur has the safety blanket knowing her spot at the WTA Finals is secured and can play a lot more freely. Back the Tunisian to emerge victorious here in two sets.