In a classic battle of the rising tennis stars, World No. 1 Naomi Osaka will face the American Sofia Kenin the quarterfinal of the 2019 WTA Cincinnati Open on Friday. The match will take place on August 16 after 3:00 pm local time (8:00 pm BST). Get Naomi Osaka v Sofia Kenin live streaming options with the preview here.
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Naomi Osaka v Sofia Kenin Head to Head
The head to head tally is currently tied at 1-1, with their last meeting coming in the 2018 French Open. Osaka was the winner there in straight sets.
Kenin with an Epic Season
So far this season, the 22-year-old Sofia Kenin has reached three finals on the tour, winning two of them and settling for the runner-up trophy in the third one. She is also at her best singles ranking as World No. 22, marching on with a rather imposing form.
Her US Open series preparations couldn’t have gone better as she continues to back her play with some high-quality tennis and an impeccable desire to win. Last week, she reached the semifinal in the Rogers Cup – her best run of the season, after defeating Ashleigh Barty and Elina Svitolina.
Kenin continued to play in the same vein in Cincinnati too, as she moved past Julia Goerges and Zarina Diyas in the opening rounds. Then, she met Svitolina once again and in a classic straight-set thriller, she tamed the Ukranian ace once again to reach the quarterfinal.
With that kind of form, she will definitely fancy her chances against Osaka, who hasn’t looked that sharp herself of late.
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Osaka Finds her Groove
It hasn’t been an easy week for Naomi Osaka in Cincinnati. Despite enjoying a bye into the second round, she has been compelled to play in two, demanding three-set matches against the likes of Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Su-Wei Hsieh. Even though she walked away with the win at the end of the day, these results are exposing vulnerabilities in Osaka’s play.
Last week in Toronto, she had a similar run where she ultimately succumbed to Serena Williams in the quarters. Nonetheless, it was a welcomed result, especially considering that the 21-year-old Japanese struggled with her form in the preceding few tournaments.
She still holds a pretty epic win-loss tally at 24-9 although, there has been a gradual drop in her form. It has been a learning curve for the current Australian Open champion, who is becoming more mature by the day and is starting to enjoy the sport to the fullest.
Osaka v Kenin Prediction & Tips
This is one of those mouth-watering fixtures where we will see the future of WTA Tennis. Both the players are formidable in their own domains and are backed by a pretty good form this season. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that this tie can go either way and Kenin, despite being the underdog, has a pretty solid chance of winning here.
Tip: Kenin to win: 49/50 (888Sport)
The Osaka v Kenin match can be watched live with Unibet here on Friday, August 16, 2019. Also, get the latest tennis tips and predictions here.
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