Heather Watson in the second round of the 2021 Viking Open, Nottingham, UK
Heather Watson in the second round of the 2021 Viking Open, Nottingham, UK | (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images for LTA)

Tennis | WTA Monterrey 2022 | Watson faces sixth seed Parrizas-Diaz in the second round

By Ros Satar

  • Heather Watson v Nuria Parrizas-Diaz [6]
  • H2H: First Meeting
MONTERREY, MEXICO – Next up for Heather Watson is the sixth seed Nuria Parrizas-Diaz.

 

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Heather Watson def Jule Niemeier 6-3 2-6 7-6(4)

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Heather Watson picked up her second main draw win of the year but was taken the distance by up-coming German player Jule Niemeier. It was a quick start by Watson, who broke the German in her first service game,

She put more pressure on Niemeier, who saved two set points before Watson closed out the first set on her own serve.

It looked as though Watson would keep that momentum, breaking again at the start of the second set, but this time it was the German who look the initiative, swiftly building up a 4-1 lead, and going on to break for the set.

A competitive third set saw them both stay solid on serve, with a couple of cagey mini-breaks before Watson finally edged the lead in the tie-break – taking it on a first match point.

 

H2H & Match Fundamentals

Heather Watson v Nuria Parrizas-Diaz [6] H2H: First Meeting
WTA Monterrey Mexico
Hard (O) Prize Money: $3,675
Second on Centre Court, not before 4:30pm (10:30pm GMT) Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial

 

Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2022 – Hard)

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H2H: Heather Watson (WR 120) Nuria Parrizas-Diaz (WR 51)
Tournament Previous Best Title (2016) Debut
1st Serve Return Points Won % 34 41.8
Return Points Won % 41.8 46.5
Break Point Conversion % 41.2 50
Break Points Saved % 50.6 53.2
Total Points Won % 50.3 51.4

Parrizas-Diaz might not have had many match-wins herself this year, but leads the board on key stats, which will make this, on paper at least, a tricky match-up for Watson.

 

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Playing Styles & Prediction

Watson is facing a player who has had a pretty meteoric rise up through the WTA ranks since the end of the 2020, going from outside the top 200 and into the Top 50, collecting her first two WTSA tour level titles along the way.

While Watson has the experience, neither of them have had a spectacular start to the season, but the Spaniard is a little bit more consistent over the year.

She is pretty sold off both wings a with a capable serve, and Watson at her best can be a match for anyone but coming in short on wins and confidence could make this tough.

Prediction: Parrizas-Diaz in three sets.

 

 

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