San Diego Open 2023: Sofia Kenin vs Anastasia Potapova preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (WC) Sofia Kenin vs Anastasia Potapova
Date: September 14, 2023
Tournament: San Diego Open 2023
Round: Quarterfinal
Venue: Barnes Tennis Center, San Diego, California, United States
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $780,637
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video
Sofia Kenin vs Anastasia Potapova preview
Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin will take on World No. 27 Anastasia Potapova in the quarterfinals of the 2023 San Diego Open on Thursday.
Kenin knocked out sixth seed Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets to book her spot in the second round, where Katie Volynets awaited her. The 24-year-old was outplayed by her opponent in the first set as she managed to snag just one game in it.
Kenin trailed by a break twice in the second set but fought back on both occasions to get back on serve. She then broke Volynets' serve in the last game of the set to take it.
Although Volynets broke Kenin at the start of the third set, the latter raised her level rather quickly. She bagged five games in a row to complete a 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 comeback win.
Potapova, on the other hand, moved past Alycia Parks in three sets to set up a second-round showdown against top seed Ons Jabeur. Both players missed out on converting some early break-point chances but made up for it by breaking each other's serve twice after that.
Jabeur then served to stay in the set at 5-4, but Potapova broke her serve at this point to claim the set. The former led by a break thrice in the second set and even served for it on two occasions, but the latter managed to strike back to level the score and force a tie-break.
Potapova jumped to a 4-0 lead in the tie-break, after which Jabeur won the next four points. The momentum swung back in the Russian's favor once again as she won the match 6-4, 7-6 (4).
Sofia Kenin vs Anastasia Potapova head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Sofia Kenin vs Anastasia Potapova odds
(Odds will be added once they're available)
Sofia Kenin vs Anastasia Potapova prediction
Kenin struggled to move at times in the previous round given her leg injury, but dug deep to get the job done. Potapova also managed to sneak past Jabeur and nipped the latter's comeback in the bud.
The Russian struck 19 winners, but her 30 unforced errors were a lot as well. Potapova's serve was decent, but she did throw in seven double faults. Kenin had some issues on her serve as well. She committed the same number of double faults and won just 56 percent of her first-serve points.
Kenin is now gunning to reach her second semifinal of the season and record her second last-four appearance since the 2020 French Open too. After a few tough results, Potapova seems to have rediscovered her form here. Her aggressive hitting could put the American on the back foot and help her advance further as well.
Pick: Anastasia Potapova to win in straight sets.