World number four and Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin will be up against Frenchwoman Alize Cornet in their second round match of the 2020 Western & Southern Open on Sunday, August 23. This match will begin at around 7 pm local time (12 midnight BST). Get the live streaming options of this Karolina Pliskova v Veronika Kudermetova match along with its preview, head to head and tips here.
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Sofia Kenin v Alize Cornet Head to Head
These two have played each other thrice before this and Kenin leads their head to head 2-1. Their first match came at the Cincinnati Open in 2018 and Cornet had won that qualifying round match. However, since then Kenin’s career has taken off and Cornet’s struggles have only grown. Kenin defeated Cornet in Hobart and Zhengzhou in straight sets, both of which also came on hard court surfaces.
Australian Open Win No Fluke for Kenin
Kenin had shown her capabilities in 2019 as well, going on to win three titles including two on hard courts and one on the grass of Mallorca. There were other sparkling performances too with Kenin reaching the semifinal at the Cincinnati Open last year and the Rogers Cup while making the final at the Acapulco Open where she lost to Wang Yafan.
So while coming into the Australian Open earlier this year Kenin might not have been a favourite, a solid Grand Slam performance was just around the corner. It came at the season’s first major this year as she ran off to an Australian Open title victory, beating Cori Gauff, Ons Jabeur, Ash Barty and then Garbine Muguruza to lift her first trophy.
And then, as if to prove it was no fluke, Kenin fought through to her second title of the season in the indoor courts of the Lyon Open.
There were a couple of opening defeats between those titles too, losing in the first round of the Dubai Open to Elena Rybakina and in the second round at Doha. The manner in which she shrugged them off and won the Lyon title speaks volumes of her mental toughness and that would be on display here in her first Premier competition of the season.
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Cornet Breezes Through to Second Round
We definitely expected Catherine McNally to give Cornet bit of a fight in the first round but the manner in which came through, winning her first round 6-0, 6-4, will be a brilliant confidence-booster for her.
Once ranked 11th in the world, Cornet’s loss of performances have led her to slide down to 60th in the world but there were signs of sparkle during the pandemic break. She won seven of her 12 matches in Challenge Elite FFT competition and comes into this tournament on the back of a quarterfinal appearance at the Auckland Open earlier this year.
In Kenin she has an opponent who will prove to be tough to beat but if she can combine her new-found confidence with a possibility of Kenin rustiness, Cornet could give herself a chance to push her American opponent.
Sofia Kenin v Alize Cornet Prediction & Tip
While we think it would be tough to get the better of Kenin for Cornet, the Frenchwoman could scalp a set here. A three-setter looks like a likely result as Kenin looks to get back into rhythm again.
Tip: Three sets in the match: 6/4 (bet365)
You can watch & bet on the Cincinnati Open on Sunday, August 23 here. Get the latest tennis predictions and tips here.
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