Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the final of the Western & Southern Open against Victoria Azarenka, because of a left hamstring injury. Victoria Azarenka has won the Cincinnati Open as a result.
The women’s singles final at the Western & Southern Open 2020 will see two former Australian Open winners clash for the title as Naomi Osaka takes on Victoria Azarenka. This match begins at 11 am local time (or 4 pm BST) on Saturday, August 29. Get the live streaming options of this Naomi Osaka v Victoria Azarenka match along with its preview, head to head and tips here.
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Naomi Osaka v Victoria Azarenka Head to Head
There have been three previous meetings between Osaka and Azarenka before this and the Japanese number one has won twice. Their rivalry started off in 2016 at the Australian Open where Azarenka won 6-1, 6-1 in the third round but Osaka retaliated with a straight-set win at the Rome Open two years later.
Their latest meeting came at the French Open last year where Osaka came back from a set down to carve out a tough win.
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Osaka Banishes Mertens
At one stage, Mertens had a free pass to the final when Osaka opted to withdraw from the semifinal but once things had settled down and the Japanese player returned, she was in no mood to allow Mertens a chance in the encounter.
Osaka ran off to a quick start to grab the first set 6-2, but was broken early in the second as Mertens looked to draw level. At 4-4 in the second set, Osaka also endured eight break-points before forcing the set into a tie-breaker and clinching it 7-5.
The former world number one hadn’t had the smoothest of starts in the competition when Karolina Muchova pushed her into a third set in the second round. It had been her first match since the pandemic quarantine, and the rustiness was palpable.
However, a straight-set demolition of Dayana Yastremska followed before she came back from a set down to defeat Anett Kontaveit.
Osaka, who had won three titles in 2018 and two last year is gunning for her first one this season having made the semifinal at the Brisbane International at the start of the year.
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Azarenka Exhibits Fighting Capabilities
It wasn’t the best press conference for Azarenka after the match as she refused to comment on what had transpired away from the court over the past 48 hours. However, nothing to take away from Azarenka’s strong showing on the court where she came back from a set down to shock Britain’s Johanna Konta in three sets and move to the final.
Having entered the tournament without a single win this year, she needed two hours and 19 minutes to get past Konta and seal her finals berth, winning 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. It was her fifth successive win in the tournament.
What makes this even more special is Azarenka’s victories came against some of the top players in the world, all of whom are capable of deep runs in the competition. She began with a straight-set pounding of Donna Vekic, before Frenchwomen Caroline Garcia and Alize Cornet were sent packing in the next two.
And then she overcame Ons Jabeur in the quarterfinal, again in straight sets to set up this meeting.
Naomi Osaka v Victoria Azarenka Prediction & Tip
Unsurprisingly, Osaka is 1/2 to win this as compared to 13/8 for an Azarenka win. We expect a strong fight and for there to be a third set but even without that, a tie-breaker can be expected at some point.
Tip: Over 21.5 games in the match: 10/11 (bet365)
You can watch & bet on the Cincinnati Open on Saturday, August 29 here. Get the latest tennis predictions and tips here.
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