The 2024 Indian Wells will see a bunch of American stars grinding it out to put their hands on the trophy. From the likes of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula to Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz, it promises to be an exciting time for home fans. Among them is the experienced Sloane Stephens. The 30-year-old is among the senior stars from her country who will be playing in the first leg of the Sunshine Double.

She faces the challenge of Mayar Sherif in the opening round, the 62nd-ranked player from Egypt. Let’s find out how the odds stack up for them in this contest.

Sloane Stephens vs Mayar Sherif: Preview

It has been a year of struggle for Sloane Stephens so far on the tennis court. Although she has played in every big tournament this season, Stephens has seldom found herself digging deep into the events. Take for example the Australian Open. While she looked solid in her victories in the first and the second rounds, Stephens suffered a heartbreaking loss in the third round. It remains her best performance this year and she’ll look to better it when she steps onto the court in Indian Wells.

On the other hand, Sherif is making a comeback from an injury. She was last seen in action at the Australian Open, where she suffered an untimely injury blow and had to withdraw midway through her opening-round match there. Being away from the action for nearly two months, it would be a challenging task for Sherif against an experienced Stephens.

Stephens vs Sherif: Head-to-Head

Although the two have been playing on the WTA Tour for quite some time now, it is interesting to note that they haven’t faced off against each other yet. The first-round encounter at Indian Wells will be their first meeting, as a result of which some surprises are expected.

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Prediction: Stephens to prevail over Sherif

Playing on her home turf, the local crowd will turn up in numbers to cheer Stephens. It might give her the added advantage as she looks like the favorite to proceed to the second round of the tournament. Stephens is predicted to win the match against Sherif in straight sets. Their match takes place on court 2 later today.