US Open 2022: Aryna Sabalenka vs Kaia Kanepi preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (6) Aryna Sabalenka vs Kaia Kanepi.

Date: September 1, 2022.

Tournament: US Open 2022.

Round: First round (Round of 128).

Venue: New York, United States.

Category: Grand Slam.

Surface: Hard.

Prize money: $60,102,000.

Match timing: 11 am local time, 3 pm GMT and 8:30 pm IST.

Live telecast: USA - ESPN & ESPN2 | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sony Liv, Sony Ten & Sony Six.

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Aryna Sabalenka vs Kaia Kanepi preview

Aryna Sabalenka in action at the 2022 US Open.

Sixth seed Aryna Sabalenka will face Kaia Kanepi in the second round of the US Open 2022 in New York on Friday.

Sabalenka entered New York on the back of a strong run at the recently concluded Cincinnati Masters, where she reached the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Caroline Garcia.

The 24-year-old built on her newly-found confidence to beat qualifier Catherine Harrison in straight sets 6-1, 6-3 in the opening round at Flushing Meadows. She was dominant throughout the match and outclassed her young opponent with her powerful serve and groundstrokes to move into the second round.

Kanepi has a reputation as a 'giant-killer' on the WTA tour. She has defeated the likes of Angelique Kerber (Australian Open) and Garbine Muguruza (French Open) this season, adding weight to her nickname.

In New York, she was clinical in her first-round match against Tereza Martincova, winning in straight sets 7-6(4), 6-3.

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Aryna Sabalenka vs Kaia Kanepi head-to-head

Sabalenka and Kanepi have faced off twice before on the WTA tour, with the former winning both to lead 2-0 in the head-to-head.

The Estonian has both their clashes in three sets. They last played in the Round of 16 at the Australian Open, where she emerged victorious 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(7).

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Aryna Sabalenka vs Kaia Kanepi odds

Player Name	Moneyline	Handicap bets	Total Games
Aryna Sabalenka
Kaia Kanepi

(Odds will be updated soon)

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Aryna Sabalenka vs Kaia Kanepi prediction

Kaia Kanepi in action at the 2022 US Open.

While Kanepi has not had a great season in terms of results, she often springs a surprise on the biggest stages. She has the firepower to compete with Sabalenka and even out-muscule her, as their head-to-head reflects.

Sabalenka, the sixth seed, looked imperious in her first-round match as she broke Harrison's serve six times during the contest. She possesses one of the most powerful games on the women's tour and has been a consistent presence in the top-10 of the WTA rankings.

However, Kanepi's more controlled aggression might see her past the Belarussian and into the third round.

Pick: Kanepi to win in three sets.