World number 13 Daria Kasatkina will face the 45th-ranked Varvara Gracheva in the second round of the 2023 WTA Cincinnati Open on Wednesday, August 16. Get the predictions and odds of this Daria Kasatkina v Varvara Gracheva match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Daria Kasatkina v Varvara Gracheva Head to Head
There have been three previous meetings between these two players and it’s Gracheva who leads 2-1. More pertinently, both of Gracheva’s wins have come this year and in hardcourt competitions.
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Kasatkina Routs Stearns
Kasatkina might be ranked 13th in the world but as far as her form in hardcourt competitions this year goes, it’s not been the best.
Before the start of this tournament, she had won nine matches from the 19 she had played this season and for a player ranked that high and aiming to break back into the top 10 it wasn’t a very favourable record.
Which is why her first round rout of Peyton Stearns would have worked wonders to her confidence.
For starters, Stearns has shown this year she is no pushover and while Kasatkina was still a favourite it didn’t mean that her opponent did not have a chance. It was Kasatkina’s brilliance that did not give her a chance in the end.
In a match lasting a mere 69 minutes, Kasatkina won 6-2, 6-1 to march into the second round here for the first time in four years. Can she now break her 2023 hoodoo against Gracheva?
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Gracheva Stuns Wozniacki
After having lost to Cristina Bucsa in the second qualifying round here and still making it through as a lucky loser, Gracheva had gone into her opening round match against Carolina Wozniacki as a 13/10 underdog.
It was just as well she didn’t play like one.
In a match lasting an hour and 36 minutes, Gracheva saved a whopping nine break-points while getting the better of Wozniacki’s serve once in each of the two sets.
This follows Gracheva’s stunning hardcourt run earlier this year which saw her make the final at the Austin Open and the fourth round at both, the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open.
What Gracheva will like to do is to take advantage of her own form on hardcourt and add that to struggles her opponent has faced all year to carve out a shock win.
Kasatkina v Gracheva Prediction and Tip
Kasatkina is a favourite on paper but we can expect Gracheva to put up a very difficult challenge for her Russian opponent. Might not be a bad idea to back Gracheva here.
Tips:
- Moderate Risk Tip: Gracheva to win: 13/10
The 2023 WTA Cincinnati Open will be played from August 13 to 20. You can get all the tennis betting news with our tennis betting blog here. Also get rest of the tennis match previews here.
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