Tennis
2022-09-08 - Caroline Garcia vs Ons Jabeur
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
Tennis: US Open Semi Final
Thursday 8th September 2022 - Scheduled 7pm
12am British Time
Preview
It has been a long time since we heard Andy Murray proclaim that Caroline Garcia was a future World Number 1 in the Women's game and the Frenchwoman has become better known for her successes as a Doubles player at Grand Slam level. She has twice won a Grand Slam title on the Doubles circuit, but amazingly Caroline Garcia is about to play her first Grand Slam Semi Final as a Singles player.
Her previous best was a single Quarter Final run back in 2017, while Caroline Garcia only reached the second week at two of the previous sixteen Grand Slam tournaments she has played in. This is simply not the kind of career most believed Garcia would have, but she is back in the top ten of the World Rankings at the end of this tournament and has been progressing very well over the last three months.
It is something of a surprise that Caroline Garcia has such a poor Grand Slam record when you think she is a former World Number 4 and she will be close to that Ranking again if she can win the US Open. The run in this tournament has been very impressive and Garcia has won five matches in New York City without dropping a set, which has backed up her title win at the Cincinnati Masters.
Caroline Garcia has won thirteen matches in a row and she has only dropped four sets in that time, while the level has been pretty consistent in that time. It also should be noted that Caroline Garcia has beaten some of the top players on the Tour with victories over Jessica Pegula, Aryna Sabalenka and Cori Gauff during her hard court successes.
She will have to get the better of Ons Jabeur if Caroline Garcia is going to make a maiden Grand Slam Final and this is a tough match considering she has lost their previous two matches. Both have been in Grand Slam events at the US Open and Australian Open and that will be a mental obstacle to overcome.
Ons Jabeur also has the experience edge having reached the Wimbledon Final back in July, although she has not been as confident or happy in her run to the Semi Final here in New York City. She admitted as much after her Quarter Final win over Ajla Tomljanovic, and Ons Jabeur did not enjoy her summer on the hard courts, while also being a fairly average performer on the surface for much of the 2022 season.
I do think Ons Jabeur has the better returning consistency in her tennis, but Caroline Garcia is getting plenty out of her serve and that has put her in a strong position in matches. Serving well gives Garcia the freedom to take her swings on the return and I think that will be the key to the outcome of the match, even if she has never beaten Ons Jabeur before.
You cannot ignore that it has been a tougher run to the Semi Final for Ons Jabeur who has won some tight matches, which could serve her well if this match gets to close moments. However, her serve will have to be a lot better to make sure she keeps Carolina Garcia under pressure and that is where Ons Jabeur looks like she will come up short.
Momentum is with the Frenchwoman and I think that shows up in this Semi Final with Caroline Garcia covering the mark on her way to a first Slam Final on Saturday.
Prediction
Lay the games with the lower Ranked player who has been set as the favourite.
The Pick :
Caroline Garcia 2-0 Ons Jabeur
