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Match Details
Fixture: (24) Victoria Azarenka vs (PR) Sofia Kenin.
Date: 16 January 2023.
Tournament: Australian Open 2023.
Round: First round (Round of 128).
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Hard.
Prize Money: A$76,500,000.
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Ten & Sony Liv.
Victoria Azarenka vs Sofia Kenin preview
Former Australian Open champions Victoria Azarenka and Sofia Kenin are set for a first-round showdown in the season's first Grand Slam on Monday.
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Azarenka put together another decent season last year. At the Majors, she made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open and the US Open. She also reached the semifinals of the Guadalajara Open along with a couple of other quarterfinal appearances.
Azarenka started her 2023 campaign by competing in the Adelaide International 1. She defeated Anhelina Kalinina and Qinwen Zheng to make the last eight. Up against Linda Noskova in the quarterfinals, she lost a closely contested battle despite holding a match point.
The Belarusian continued competing in Adelaide the following week as the city hosted another event. She drew World No. 9 Veronika Kudermetova and went down in three sets yet again in the first round. A two-time champion at the Australian Open, Azarenka will be aiming to recapture some of that past magic once more.
Kenin had a tough time last year, winning just four matches at the WTA level. She started off strong by reaching the quarterfinals of her very first event but didn't win a match until August after that. She dropped down to the ITF level to secure some victories and it worked to an extent.
Kenin started the new year by participating in the ASB Classic. She defeated Wang Xinyu in the first round, but lost to Coco Gauff in the next round. She then headed to compete in Hobart, where she reached her first semifinal since the 2020 French Open. She lost to Elisabetta Cocciaretto in three sets.
Kenin clinched her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2020 Australian Open and will be hoping for a better showing in Melbourne yet again.
Victoria Azarenka vs Sofia Kenin head-to-head
The two have split their previous couple of meetings evenly to tie the head-to-head at 1-1. Azarenka won their last match at the 2020 Italian Open in straight sets.
Victoria Azarenka vs Sofia Kenin odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Victoria Azarenka vs Sofia Kenin prediction
Kenin will be feeling slightly more confident after her run in Hobart. It was a good week for her, as she needed an encouraging result after a dismal 2022. The American's point construction was severely lacking last year, but this past week she displayed that ability beautifully.
Azarenka's groundstrokes have lost a little bit of that pop that made her so dangerous, but she's still a fierce competitor. She's resorting to playing a bit more defensively these days, which could help Kenin keep pace with her. The Belarusian's serve is pretty decent even now and does quite well during return games as well.
However, Azarenka has lost quite a few three-set matches off late. She used to hold her nerve quite a bit better earlier, but that tenacity is amiss now. The last time the two faced off, the former World No. 1 handed Kenin a 6-0, 6-0 beatdown. While the score won't be similar this time, the Belarusian is likely to be on the winning side yet again.
Pick: Victoria Azarenka to win in three sets.
