Cleveland Open 2024: Peyton Stearns vs Moyuka Uchijima preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds & pick | Tennis in the Land

Match Details

Fixture: (6) Peyton Stearns vs Moyuka Uchijima

Date: Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Tournament: Tennis in the Land

Round: First Round (Round of 32)

Venue: Jacobs Pavilion, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.

Category: WTA 250

Surface: Hard

Prize Money: $267,082

Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | Canada - TSN+

Peyton Stearns vs Moyuka Uchijima preview

Peyton Stearns in action at the Cincinnati Open (Picture: Getty)

Sixth seed and home favorite Peyton Stearns is set to kick off her Tennis in the Land campaign against Moyuka Uchijima in a tantalizing first-round encounter on Tuesday, August 20.

Stearns enters Cleveland with a 19-19 match record so far this year and one title, the Morocco Open, where she thumped Mayar Sherif 6-2, 6-1 en route to her first career WTA title. She reached the third round at the French Open the following week, beating 10th seed Daria Kasatkina in the second round before eventually succumbing to Mirra Andreeva in the third round.

Stearns kicked off her American hardcourt swing with a second-round exit to Emma Raducanu at the Citi Open. She impressed at the Canadian Open, beating compatriot Madison Keys and two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka en route to the last eight where she succumbed to eventual champion Jessica Pegula.

Uchijima, meanwhile, holds a 46-16 match record this season, primarily from her exploits on the ITF tour. She's picked up five titles this year and six this season and has been touted to become the next upcoming star from Japan. She made her main draw debut at the French Open and won her first match against Spain's Irene Burillo Escorihuela, dropping just two games en route to a 6-1, 6-1 win. She lost to second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the subsequent round.

Uchijima plowed through the qualifiers in Birmingham but lost her opener to Harriet Dart. She lost her Wimbledon opening-round match against Ons Jabeur. She reached the second round of the Canadian Open where she succumbed to sixth seed Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets.

Peyton Stearns vs Moyuka Uchijima head-to-head

Peyton Stearns and Moyuka Uchijima haven't yet played each other on the WTA tour and so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

Peyton Stearns vs Moyuka Uchijima odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Peyton Stearns	-300	+1.5 (-900)	Over 21.5 (-105)
Moyuka Uchijima	+225	-1.5 (+425)	Under 21.5 (-140)

(Odds sourced from BetMGM)

Peyton Stearns vs Moyuka Uchijima prediction

Moyuka Uchijima in action at the National Bank Open (Picture: Getty)

Peyton Stearns heads into her Cleveland opener with a 4-3 match record in the American hardcourt swing. She's looked in good knick on the hard courts despite her first-round loss in Cincinnati last week. Her baseline game has improved heaps but her serve continues to be an issue.

Moyuka Uchijima started the year impressively on the ITF circuit but has struggled to adapt to the demands of the professional tour ever since regularly featuring on it at the French Open. She's 2-5 in main draw matches this year and has struggled with consistency.

Stearns' superior hardcourt record and WTA main draw experience could give her the edge against Uchijima in the battle between the youngsters. The winner will play Wang Yafan or Sara Sorribes next for a place in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Cleveland Open.

Pick: Stearns in straight sets.