WTA Strasbourg: Madison Keys vs Magda Linette; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction

America’s Madison Keys takes on Poland’s Magda Linette in the QF of the Internationaux de Strasbourg. Keys suffered defeat at the hands of the Polish tennis star, Iga Swiatek in her previous two tournaments. Can she overcome another Polish hurdle in Strasbourg? Magda Linette on the other hand, has a lot of history attached to this tournament. She will be looking forward to making a good impact in this tournament this year.

Magda Linette made her first appearance in a WTA Tour main draw at the 2013 Internationaux de Strasbourg. She also tasted her first match win at this level in the same tournament. However, Madison Keys has been in good form recently. So, it won’t be easy for Linette to topple the former world number 7.

Madison Keys vs Magda Linette: Preview

Keys hasn’t played too many matches this season. But she managed to defeat some big names in women’s tennis on her way to the SF at the Madrid Open. After that, she also reached the QF of the Italian Open. In her previous match in Strasbourg, she defeated China’s Wang Xinyu comfortably by a 7-5,6-0 margin. Keys hit two aces and committed four double faults against the Chinese. Her first serve win percentage was around 80% and on the second serve, it was 45% in that match. She converter five of her nine breakpoints in that match.

So far, Madison Keys has hit 56 aces and committed 33 double faults in this season. She has won 69.5% of her service games and 32% of her return games. Serve is one of her favorite shots, but it will be interesting to see how well she can use it against her Polish opponent.

Magda Linette on the other hand, has displayed a pretty ordinary brand of tennis this season. However, she managed to reach the finals of this year’s Open de Rouen. Linette will be entering into this exciting contest after having two wins in her previous two matches in Strasbourg. She defeated Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova by 6(5)-7,6-3,6-3 in her R16 match. Linette hammered ten aces against the Russian and committed just four double faults in the entire match.

She won 63% of her first serve and just 53% of her second serve. Magda Linette converted six of her twelve breakpoints against Alexandrova. Looking at her stats from this season, the Polish tennis star has hit a total of 74 aces and committed 41 double faults so far. She has won 70% of her service games and just around 30.7% of her return games.

Keys vs Linette: Head-to-Head

Madison Keys currently leads the H2H with a 3-1 margin. They first met each other at the Guadalajara Open in 2022 and in that match Keys defeated Magda Linette by 6-3,6-3. Then Linette snatched a victory in a three-set thriller against Keys at the 2022 BJK Cup Finals. In 2023, Madison Keys yet again took the lead by defeating the Polish tennis star at the 2023 United Cup. Their latest meeting was at the 2023 Charleston Open and in that match, Keys defeated Linette 6-2,3-6,6-1.

Madison Keys hit six aces and didn’t commit a single double fault in that R16 match in Charleston. However, Magda Linette didn’t hit any ace nor did she commit any double fault against Keys. Linette’s first serve win percentage was just around 59% while it dropped to 48% on the second serve. However, for Madison Keys, it was 67% and 59% respectively. The American tennis star converted four out of her eleven breakpoints in that match, while the Polish could only manage to convert one out of her six breakpoints. But who has the higher possibility of winning this enticing contest in Strasbourg?

Prediction: Keys to win this match in three sets

Both of them are experienced campaigners but if we look at their current form, Madison Keys is slightly ahead of Magda Linette. Keys has a win-loss record of 11-5 this season, while Linette currently holds a record of 13-13. Madison Keys is an aggressive baseliner and her biggest weapons are her big serves and powerful groundstrokes. She also has a good forehand and backhand shot-taking ability. Her biggest weakness is her inability to put a check on her power at times.

While Magda Linette’s biggest strength has been her speed, court coverage, and accurate anticipation, she has a powerful groundstroke and her forehand is also strong. Linette loves to hit that with topspin which makes the shot more safe and reliable during her matches. But when it comes to picking the winner from this exciting contest, Madison Keys looks most like to get the upper hand here.