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Fixture: (2) Aryna Sabalenka vs (PR) Sofia Kenin.
Tournament: Italian Open 2023.
Round: Second Round (Round of 64).
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €3,572,618.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Sofia Kenin preview
After a first-round bye, World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka will take on 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the second round of the 2023 Italian Open.
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Sabalenka shined during the start of the season, claiming her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. She also won the Adelaide International 1, while finishing at the runner-up at the BNP Paribas Open. The Belarusian notched up another couple of quarterfinal showings as well.
Sabalenka kicked off her clay swing at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. She made it to the title round for the third straight year, but failed to lay her hands on the winner's trophy yet again. The 24-year-old lost to Iga Swiatek in a rematch of last year's final.
Following wins over Sorana Cristea, Camila Osorio, Mirra Andreeva, Mayar Sherif and Maria Sakkari, Sabalenka reached the final of the Madrid Open. Another showdown against Swiatek beckoned her and this time the Belarusian came out on top to win her third title of the season.
Kenin, meanwhile, was up against Cristina Bucsa in the first round here. The opening set devolved into a break fest as the duo struggled to hold serve. Following five consecutive breaks of serve, the American came out on top to go 4-3 up.
Kenin solidified her lead with a hold of serve, she broke her opponent's serve once again to clinch the set. Bucsa secured an early break of serve in the second set and remained ahead for most of it. The Spaniard even held six set points at 5-4, but was unable to close it out as she dropped serve.
Bucsa gained the upper hand in the ensuing tie-break to take the set. Kenin led 4-2 in the third set, but her opponent managed to level the score. The American then raised her level as she bagged the last three games to win the match 6-3, 6-7 (8), 7-5.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Sofia Kenin head-to-head
Sabalenka leads Kenin 2-0 in the head-to-head. She won thier previous encounter at the 2018 Tianjin Open in three sets.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Sofia Kenin odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Sofia Kenin prediction
Kenin earned a hard fought win over Bucsa to kick off her campaign in Rome. The American coughed up six double faults and went 7/21 on break points. While she was able to get over the finish line in the previous round, she cannot afford to let an opponent like Sabalenka off the hook so many times in the next round.
The Belarusian, on the other hand, has been the best player on the women's tour this season. She has been on fire during the clay swing. However, the slow conditions in Rome make it slightly difficult for her to unleash the full ferocity of her groundstrokes. This could give the American an opening to make her move.
Kenin is working hard to rise to her former level, but her progress has been quite slow. She's a capable player on the red dirt, but given Sabalenka's form so far, it's tough to bet against the World No. 2.
Pick: Aryna Sabalenka to win in straight sets.
