Cleveland 2021: Anett Kontaveit vs Irina-Camelia Begu preview, head-to-head & prediction | Tennis in the Land

Anett Kontaveit in action at the Cleveland Championships
Anett Kontaveit in action at the Cleveland Championships

Match details

Fixture: (2) Anett Kontaveit vs Irina-Camelia Begu

Date: 28 August 2021

Tournament: Tennis in the Land 2021

Round: Final

Venue: Cleveland, United States

Category: WTA 250

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $235,238

Match timing: 1 pm local time, 5 pm GMT, 10.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video


Anett Kontaveit vs Irina-Camelia Begu preview

Second seed Anett Kontaveit will look to win the second WTA title of her career when she takes on unseeded Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu in the final of the Tennis in the Land tournament in Cleveland on Saturday.

Since reaching the final on the grasscourts of Eastbourne, World No. 30 Anett Kontaveit has suffered a slump in form. She went on a five-match losing streak, which she managed to finally snap this week in Cleveland.

After being breadsticked by Lauren Davis in the first set of her opening match, the Estonian has produced a remarkable turnaround. She has now recorded four wins en route to the final, two of which have come against in-form players in the shape of Sara Sorribes Tormo and Katerina Siniakova.

Irina-Camelia Begu in action at the Cleveland Championships
Irina-Camelia Begu in action at the Cleveland Championships

World No. 74 Irina-Camelia Begu, meanwhile, has failed to make much of an impact on the tour after reaching a couple of quarterfinals in Australia at the start of the season.

But the 31-year-old has been a revelation this week in Cleveland. The Romanian has produced strong numbers on serve and is yet to drop a set. Her journey to the final included upset wins over third seed Ekaterina Alexandrova and sixth seed Magda Linette.

Begu will be keen to keep that form going in the final against Kontaveit.

Anett Kontaveit vs Irina-Camelia Begu head-to-head

Anett Kontaveit and Irina-Camelia Begu have never crossed paths on the tour before, so their head-to-head currently stands at a 0-0 deadlock.

Anett Kontaveit vs Irina-Camelia Begu prediction

Anett Kontaveit is the favorite to win
Anett Kontaveit is the favorite to win

Irina-Camelia Begu has a solid baseline game but it is her serve that has worked well for her this week. She has served 22 aces in four matches, with 11 of those coming against sixth seed Magda Linette in the semifinals.

Anett Kontaveit thus has to return well to have any chance against the spirited Romanian. Kontaveit converted four out of the seven break points she earned against Sorribes Tormo in the semifinals and will need to produce similar numbers in the final.

The Estonian is strong from the back of the court and also has a decent slice with which she can disrupt the rhythm of the Romanian. If Kontaveit can stay aggressive from the baseline and at the same time keep her unforced error count low, she should be able to come away with the trophy.

Prediction: Anett Kontaveit to win in three sets.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram
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