San Diego Open 2022: Daria Kasatkina vs Madison Keys preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (8) Daria Kasatkina vs Madison Keys.
Date: October 13, 2022.
Tournament: San Diego Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Venue: Barnes Tennis Center, San Diego, California, United States.
Category: WTA 500.
Surface: Hardcourt.
Prize money: $757,900.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video.
Daria Kasatkina vs Madison Keys preview
Eighth seed Daria Kasatkina will face off against home favorite Madison Keys in the second round of the 2022 San Diego Open.
Kasatkina was up against 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez in the first round. She raced to a quick 4-0 lead in no time as her opponent struggled to keep up with her. The deficit proved too much for the Canadian to recover from as the opening set was claimed by the World No. 11.
The Russian was off to a fast start in the second set as well, jumping to a 3-0 lead. Fernandez managed to break Kasatkina's serve for the first time in the match to make it 3-1. However, it wasn't the start of a trademark fight by the Canadian, who lost serve immediately in the next game.
There were no more stumbles from Kasatkina, who soon served out the match to win 6-2, 6-2.
Keys' first-round opponent in San Diego was qualifier Ellen Perez. The American was quite dominant in the opening set, dropping just one game en route to clinching it.
Perez flipped the script at the start of the second set as she went 3-0 up. It looked like the match might go the distance as Keys' level started to dip a little. But the former US Open finalist turned things around rather quickly. She won the next couple of games to make it 3-2.
The Australian snagged another break of serve to go 4-2 up, but that proved to be a minor setback for Keys, who reeled off the next four games to win the match 6-1, 6-4 and snap a three-match losing streak.
Daria Kasatkina vs Madison Keys head-to-head
The two are familiar rivals, having met eight times before. Keys leads Kasatkina 7-1 in the head-to-head. The Russian won their previous encounter at the 2022 Melbourne Summer Set 2 in three sets.
Daria Kasatkina vs Madison Keys odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Daria Kasatkina vs Madison Keys prediction
Both players had relatively easy outings in the first round and made it through in straight sets. Keys was tested a bit in the second set by Perez but pulled it together in time.
Kasatkina finally managed to win a match against the American earlier this year after seven consecutive losses. Before her only win against Keys, she had won just one solitary set in their seven meetings. Their showdown in Melbourne could've gone either way, but the Russian prevailed after playing some inspired tennis.
Kasatkina displayed some initiative in the first round by playing a slightly more aggressive brand of tennis than what she's usually known for. It might be difficult for her to match Keys in that aspect, who's known to go for her shots with gusto. But the high bounce on Center Court suits the Russian's game a bit more.
Both players haven't been at their best in recent weeks, but will be feeling confident after their wins here. Kasatkina is more consistent and if the American doesn't keep her error count in check, she could find herself in trouble. However, given their lopsided head-to-head, it's hard not to back Keys to score yet another win.
Pick: Madison Keys to win in three sets.