Australian Open 2024: Iga Swiatek vs Sofia Kenin preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (4) Iga Swiatek vs Sofia Kenin

Date: January 14, 2024

Tournament: Australian Open 2024

Round: First Round (Round of 128)

Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor hard

Prize money: $39,264,000

Live telecast: USA - ESPN, Tennis Channel | Australia - Nine Network, Stan Sport | India and Indian Subcontinent - Sony Sports Network

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Iga Swiatek vs Sofia Kenin

Swiatek is looking for her first Australian Open title.

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will launch her bid for a maiden Australian Open title against 2020 champion Sofia Kenin in a rematch of the 2020 Roland Garros finals.

Swiatek, 22, is coming off a perfect campaign at the United Cup mixed team event Down Under, winning all five of her singles matches. She beat Angelique Kerber in the women's singles tie against Germany in the final, but Alexander Zverev pulled off a double duty to deny Poland the title.

The Pole is in rousing form, having closed the 2023 season with 11 straight wins - including the season-ending WTA Finals in Cancun, dropping just one set. Riding on a 16-match winning streak, Swiatek is back to her dominating best as she seeks to conquer a new frontier.

Swiatek's best result at the Melbourne Slam in five appearances is a semifinal appearance in 2022, losing to Danielle Collins. She made the fourth round last year, losing to Elena Rybakina.

Meanwhile, Kenin - ranked 38th in the world - is off to a 1-2 start to the season. She's coming off a second-round loss to Daria Saville in straight sets at the ongoing Hobart Open, having opened her season with a first-round defeat to Arina Rodionova in Brisbane last week.

Since winning her lone Grand Slam title Down Under four years ago, Kenin has gone 1-2 at the tournament, including first-round losses in the last two years. The American has won just one other match at the Major outside her title-winning campaign.

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Iga Swiatek vs Sofia Kenin head-to-head

The pair's lone clash was their aforementioned meeting in the Roland Garros final four years ago where Swiatek won the clash in straight sets. This will be their first meeting on hardcourt.

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Iga Swiatek vs Sofia Kenin odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Games over/under
Iga Swiatek	-3000	-1.5 (-600)	Over 17.5 (-110)
Sofia Kenin	+1000	+1.5 (+340)	Under 17.5 (-130)

All odds are sourced from BETMGM.

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Iga Swiatek vs Sofia Kenin prediction

Kenin has struggled at the Australian Open since her win in 2020.

Both Swiatek and Kenin do not venture much to the net, preferring to control points from the back of the court, but the similarities in their game styles end there.

Swiatek is one of the biggest servers on the women's tour, hits powerful shots off both flanks and is an elite mover, while Kenin has more modest attributes. Moreover, the Pole is playing some of the best tennis of her career after a brief slump and is a regular at the business end of Slams.

Considering her current form, anything but a win for the four-time Grand Slam champion will be a huge surprise.

Pick: Swiatek in straight sets