Cleveland 2022: Sofia Kenin vs Bernada Pera preview, head-to-head, prediction & pick | Tennis in the Land
Match details
Fixture: Sofia Kenin vs Bernada Pera
Date: 25 August 2022
Tournament: Tennis in the Land
Round: Quarterfinal
Venue: Cleveland, United States
Category: WTA 250
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $235,238
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Sofia Kenin vs Bernada Pera preview
Sofia Kenin will take on countrywoman Bernada Pera in the quarterfinal contest of the 2022 Tennis in the Land Open on Thursday.
Kenin, who snapped a losing streak stretching all the way back to January with her opening-round win over Dalayna Hewitt here, finally looks to have found some rhythm heading into the last leg of the 2022 season.
The American's win-loss record coming into the tournament stood at a dismal 2-9 — with her quarterfinal run in Adelaide being the only decent result for the season.
Pera, meanwhile, has struck a purple patch ever since lifting a maiden WTA Tour title at the Hungarian Open. The 27-year-olf went on to lift a second consecutive trophy in Germany — with wins over the likes of Anett Kontaveit and Sorana Cirstea to show for.
It took a spirited performance from Coco Vandeweghe in the summit clash of the Thoreau Open to stop her winning run and Pera missed out on winning three-titles back-to-back. However, she resumed her winning ways here in Cleveland, posting her 29th win of the season against top seed Barbora Krejcikova in the last 16.
Kenin vs Bernada Pera head-to-head
This will be the first career meeting between the two players, so their current head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Sofia Kenin vs Bernada Pera odds
(to be updated)
Sofia Kenin vs Bernada Pera prediction
Injury troubles and a complete collapse in self-confidence has affected Sofia Kenin's progress on the WTA tour. For most of 2022, she has looked like a pale shadow of the player who reached two Grand Slam finals in 2020 — winning one in Melbourne.
Kenin, however, has shown signs of revival on the American hardcourts. Not only has the former top -10 player served brilliantly this week, she has also done well to bring back her signature variety and dropshots.
Against an in-form Bernarda Pera, though, she will find herself being heavily tested. The 27-year-old possesses compact swings on her groundstrokes, especially off the forehand — which she often uses to dispatch winners at whim.
This could turn into a battle for the baseline, but if Kenin is not careful, she could find herself on the back foot early. Pera is a great front-runner and if she can find a way to secure an early beak, she could well find herself scoring another big win.
Prediction: Pera to win in three sets