Ordering matches against a strong and weak rival

You will play three tennis matches in a row, alternating between two opponents, and you take the title if you win two matches in a row at some point. One opponent, Alice, is harder to beat than the other, Bob. Should you choose the order Alice–Bob–Alice or Bob–Alice–Bob? Reply $1$ for Alice–Bob–Alice and $2$ for Bob–Alice–Bob.

1 (Alice–Bob–Alice). Two consecutive wins are impossible without winning the middle match, so you want the easier opponent there. With win probabilities $x<y$ against Alice and Bob, the chances are $2xy-x^2y$ for ABA and $2xy-xy^2$ for BAB, and the first is larger.