WTA Madrid is off to an incredible start to begin and the level of play has been impressive!
I’ve found value on two of Wednesday's matchups – Sherif vs Davis and Wang vs Tomova.
Read on to find Madrid picks for Wednesday, April 24.
Note: Match times are subject to change. Read here for tips on viewing tennis matches and seeing tennis odds.
WTA Madrid Open Odds, Predictions & Picks
Mayar Sherif (-275) vs Lauren Davis (+210)
5 a.m. ET
Mayar Sherif last played in Rouen (red clay), falling 3-6, 6-7(7) to Yue Yuan in her opening match. Sherif won just 54% of her service points, getting broken four times. The Egyptian also won 40% of her return points, breaking on three occasions.
Sherif is an impressive 174-59 on clay as a professional, having been a set away from the Madrid semifinals against Aryna Sabalenka in 2023. Sherif hits her spots on serve and understands point construction very well on clay. She has a heavy forehand that she hits with precision, pace and heavy spin. While Sherif isn't the fastest player, she anticipates well and positions herself in offensive spaces of the court. And while Sherif's backhand can leak errors, she can hit with aggression from that side.
Lauren Davis was out with a shoulder ailment, but returned in Charleston (green clay), losing to Sachia Vickery 2-6, 3-6 in her first match back. Davis won only 48% of her service points, getting broken on five occasions. In addition, the American won 41% of her return points, breaking just twice.
Davis has a strong 93-64 career-mark on the dirt, although she fell in the first round of Madrid to Sorana Cirstea last time around. Davis gets good pop on her groundstrokes but is still fairly underpowered. The 30 year-old is inconsistent, alternating between excellent controlled aggression and wild unforced errors. And Davis can rack up the unforced errors from either wing. The American does move well, however.
Sherif looked terrific last season in the Madrid altitude. Combine this with how this is only Davis' second match back to the tour, along with balls flying more in the conditions, and this is a favorable matchup for the Egyptian.
Sherif should be in better control of her groundstrokes, especially her forehand. An undercooked Davis, already lacking consistency, should spray plenty of unforced errors.
Pick: Sherif -1.5 sets (-110 via BetMGM)
Xinyu Wang (-120) vs Viktoriya Tomova (+100)
8 a.m. ET
Xinyu Wang last played in Billie Jean King Cup (red clay), beating Sahaja Yamalpalli 6-2, 6-3. After losing three of her first five matches of the season, Wang has steadied herself and has won four of her last five matches.
Wang is now 30-25 on clay for her career, having lost in straight sets to Jule Niemeier in her opening match in Madrid last season. Wang has a fairly powerful serve and follows it up with punishing, heavy forehands, dictating from the ground. The Chinese has an excellent sense of court positioning and utilizes good variety. The 22 year-old can play with power from her backhand, as well, but is more likely to leak errors from this wing.
Viktoriya Tomova last competed in Rouan (red clay), falling 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 to Varvara Gracheva in the first round. Tomova won just 50% of her service points, getting broken six times. But the Bulgarian won 43% of her return points, breaking on six occasions herself.
Tomova has a solid 272-172 professional-record on the dirt and was a lucky loser in last year's Madrid main draw, but was defeated in the first round against Julia Grabher. Tomova gets consistent depth on her groundstrokes and anticipates where her opponents are hitting well. She absorbs pace effectively and has a high tennis IQ. The problem for Tomova is the severe lack of offense to her game, both on her serve and from the baseline. The Bulgarian finds it very difficult to put points away.
While Wang has turned things around recently, Tomova has lost four of her past five matches. The Bulgarian is out of form and struggles to impose herself, as is. There's a reason her career high is just World No. 64 at 29-years-old.
The altitude conditions in Madrid also suit Wang's more offensive game, as she is less likely to be dragged into as many extended rallies against Tomova and should be able to finish points more easily from the ground.
And Wang's forehand should be the best shot on the court, with the Chinese dragging Tomova around the court from that wing, especially given the altitude.
Pick: Wang ML (-120 via FanDuel)
