J&T Banka Ostrava Open 2020: Jennifer Brady vs Daria Kasatkina preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: Jennifer Brady vs Daria Kasatkina

Date: 22 October 2020

Tournament: J & T Banka Ostrava Open 2020

Round: Second round (Round of 16)

Venue: Ostrava, Czech Republic

Category: WTA Premier

Surface: Indoor hardcourt

Prize money: $528,500

Match timing: Approx. 8 pm CEST, 11. pm IST

Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel

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Jennifer Brady vs Daria Kasatkina preview

After a magnificent performance on the American hardcourts a month ago, Jennifer Brady picked up where she left off as she ousted Dayana Yastremska in the first round of the Ostrava Open 2020 on Tuesday.

Brady had suffered a disappointing first-round loss to the unseeded Clara Tauson at Roland Garros. But the American's game is far better suited to quick courts, as evidenced by her title run at the Top Seed Open in Lexington and semifinal appearance at the subsequent US Open.

Brady did struggle a bit against her Ukrainian opponent in the opening round at Ostrava though. She dropped the first set and had to play a tiebreaker in the second before taming Yastremska 6-1 in the decider.

Daria Kasatkina is on a three-match winning streak heading into this match

The unseeded Daria Kasatkina is Jennifer Brady's second-round opponent. The Russian player has a ton of momentum on her side, having defeated Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Marie Bouzkova and Elena Rybakina in the Czech city so far.

Kasatkina broke Rybakina's serve seven times in their first-round clash, highlighting that her return game is right on the money. That said, the 23-year-old couldn't impress much during the hardcourt tourneys in the US; she crashed out of the US Open and the Western & Southern Open in the first round itself.

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Jennifer Brady vs Daria Kasatkina head-to-head

Jennifer Brady and Daria Kasatkina have not clashed on the WTA tour before, so their head-to-head record currently stands at 0-0.

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Jennifer Brady vs Daria Kasatkina prediction

Jennifer Brady

The second-round match between Jennifer Brady and Daria Kasatkina is a tough one to predict. While there was a big difference in their performances at the hardcourt events in the United States, Kasatkina has been in good touch of late.

She upset the sixth seed Rybakina in the opening round, winning seven games in a row during that contest. At the same time, Brady is an all-court player with a strong serve, who can dictate a majority of rallies with her forehand.

The American's aggressive playing style has helped her achieve plenty of success on hardcourts lately, and that might give her an edge over the Russian on Thursday.

Prediction: Jennifer Brady to win in three sets.