China Open 2024: Diana Shnaider vs Sofia Kenin preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (12) Diana Shnaider vs Sofia Kenin
Date: September 27, 2024
Tournament: China Open 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: National Tennis Center, Beijing, China
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $8,955,610
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Diana Shnaider vs Sofia Kenin preview
After a first-round bye, 12th seed Diana Shnaider will take on former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the second round of the China Open 2024.
Shnaider's breakthrough season has seen her ranking climb to a career-high of No. 16. This has been possible due to her steady improvements throughout the year. She has won three titles this season, one on each surface, the biggest of them coming at the Bad Homburg Open, a WTA 500 event.
After crashing out in the first round of the Australian Open and the French Open, Shnaider made the third round at Wimbledon and the fourth round of the US Open. She also reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal at the Canadian Open.
Shnaider has also thrived in doubles. She claimed the silver medal with Mirra Andreeva at the Paris Olympics. She also reached the quarterfinals of the French Open and the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open.
Kenin began her China Open campaign against Ana Bogdan. The two started the match by trading service breaks and remained steady on serve until the end of the first set. A tie-break seemed inevitable, especially after the Romanian held a game point in the 12th game of the set.
However, Kenin piled on the pressure to a break point and converted it to take the set. She initially squandered her lead to let Bogdan back into the second set. However, the American won four of the last five games of the set to secure a 7-5, 6-2 win.
Diana Shnaider vs Sofia Kenin head-to-head
This will be the first career meeting between the two, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Diana Shnaider vs Sofia Kenin odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Diana Shnaider vs Sofia Kenin prediction
While Shnaider's career has been on the upswing this year, Kenin's career has gone the other way. The latter started the season ranked in the top 40, and fell out of the top 150 in this week's rankings. Her win over Bogdan was her eighth main draw win of the season.
Shnaider, meanwhile, has 35 main draw wins to her name at the WTA level. However, one cannot discount Kenin regardless of her form. She has peaked from time to time over the last two years and already has a win over a top-10 player this season.
Kenin has advanced beyond the second round of a tournament only twice this year, and only on clay. She hasn't won back-to-back matches on hardcourts this season, and given Shnaider's form, it will be a tall order for the American to achieve the feat against her.
Pick: Diana Shnaider to win in straight sets.