Sofia Kenin in action against Garbine Muguruza during the women's summit clash of the Australian Open. (Getty Images)
Former Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin faces second seed Anhelina Kalinina in the round of 16 of the WTA Angers Arena Loire.
The 2020 WTA Player of the Year has not had a memorable year thus far. She suffered injuries that ruled her out of major tournaments like the BNP Paribas Open, the French Open, and Wimbledon. Kenin also dropped outside the top 300.
She has found something to build on with her last few performances. In the ITF event in Waco, Texas, USA, she made it to the semis. In the WTA 125 event in Midland, Kenin made it to the quarterfinals, where she lost to seventh seed and eventual champion, Caty McNally. Kenin made light work of Dayana Yastremska in the round of 32 in Angers. The Ukrainian lost in straight sets 4-6, 2-6.
Kalinina has bounced back strongly after a disappointing campaign at the ITF event in Spain in October. The Ukrainian youngster played well at the ITF event in Shrewsbury last month. Entering the tournament as the top seed, Kalinina lost to Marketa Vondrousova in the semifinal.
In the first round at Angers, Kalinina produced a sensational display to outclass America’s Katrina Scott. The 25-year-old won the match in straight sets 6-1, 6-2. Kalinina had a better win percentage on the second serve compared to her first. She won 60 points compared to just 32 won by her opponent.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 2-1 in favor of Sofia Kenin. She won their last encounter at an ITF event in the USA in 2017.
Prediction: Sofia Kenin to win in three sets.
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