A spot in the next round is at stake on Thursday, when Elise Mertens goes up against Maja Chwalinska in the French Open round of 64. Elise Mertens has won 6 of the last 10. Maja Chwalinska brings a 6-match winning streak into this one, 8-2 across the last ten.
Maja Chwalinska leads the head-to-head 1-0, and history has a way of mattering in matchups like this one. On clay specifically it reads 1-0 Chwalinska — worth more than the overall number this week.
Hold strength tells the story — 63.4% versus 57.3% on first-serve points in Mertens's favor. Anything other than a Mertens win would rank among the bigger surprises of the week.