Cincinnati 2021: Naomi Osaka vs Jil Teichmann preview, head-to-head & prediction | Western & Southern Open
Match details
Fixture: (2) Naomi Osaka vs Jil Teichmann
Date: 19 August 2021
Tournament: Western & Southern Open
Round: Third round (Round of 16)
Venue: Cincinnati, United States
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $1,835,490
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Naomi Osaka vs Jil Teichmann preview
Second seed Naomi Osaka staged a stunning comeback against Coco Gauff in the second round of the 2021 Western & Southern Open on Wednesday. Osaka rallied from a set and a break down to book her spot in the last 16, where she will face Jil Teichmann.
Teichmann, on her part, breezed past home favorite Bernarda Pera, winning 6-1, 6-4 in 75 minutes.
Osaka, playing in her first WTA match since beating Patricia Maria Tig at Roland Garros (Olympic Games are an ITF event), was rusty early on.
Even though her first serve was on the money, the rest of her game was far from impressive as Gauff took the opening set 6-4. The teenager then broke the Japanese's serve early in the second set to raise the possibility of a major upset.
But Gauff's game then began to unravel. Her forehand and serve went missing, allowing the Japanese back into the match.
Osaka's own serve improved as the match progressed, which ultimately proved to be the difference. She won a whopping 18 points in a row on serve at one stage and lost just one point on her own delivery in the decider. The four-time Major champion eventually managed to eke out a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win in just under two hours.
Jil Teichmann, meanwhile, backed up her thumping win over Sorana Cirstea on Monday with an equally impressive victory over Bernarda Pera on Wednesday.
The Swiss returned exceptionally well against Pera, breaking the American's serve four times and winning 50% of the return points.
The 24-year-old has dropped a mere seven games at Cincinnati so far and has earned a total of nine service breaks across two matches.
Naomi Osaka vs Jil Teichmann head-to-head
Naomi Osaka and Jil Teichmann have never faced each other on tour before, which is why their head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Naomi Osaka vs Jil Teichmann prediction
This is an interesting match-up, pitting Osaka's huge serve against Teichmann's solid return. That said, both players are pretty consistent in other departments as well.
The Swiss' lefty serve might give Osaka a few problems if she lands it often enough, but if she fails to find her spots consistently, the Japanese will find it easy to pick it off.
Teichmann's best bet is to use her serve+1 combination to keep points short and force Osaka onto the backfoot.
But should Osaka manage to replicate her serving performance from her win over Gauff, it will be difficult for Teichmann to find a way past the Japanese.
Prediction: Naomi Osaka to win in three sets.