Home favorite Sofia Kenin is all set to take on Clara Burel (FRA) in the R16 of the Tennis in The Land tournament in Cleveland. Both of these tennis stars have struggled a bit this season. However, in Cleveland, they have started their campaign on a winning note. Now, it’ll be interesting to see who makes full use of this winning start to make a longer run into this tournament.

Sofia Kenin vs Clara Burel: Preview

Kenin’s best result this season has been reaching the R16 on three occasions in her previous tournaments. American tennis fans are now praying for this Grand Slam title holder to get back to her glorious day as soon as possible. Talking about glories, well she defeated her compatriot, Katie Volynets in the first round (R32) vy 6-2,2-6,7-5. Resilience was the key for Kenin here. Will Burel give her a free run on American soil?

Perhaps not! Because she has a better record of making a little deeper run into the tournaments this year. Burel has reached three QF in her previous tournaments and a win here would now make it four. She defeated another American tennis player, Elvina Kalieva in her first match by 6-3,6-2. Her comprehensive victory will give her enough confidence before stepping onto the court to play against a tougher opponent.

Kenin vs Burel: Head-to-Head

Both of these tennis stars haven’t yet played against each other on the Tour. Hence, their H2H is locked at 0-0. So, they perhaps don’t know much about their playing styles and to make things more trickier we are expecting similar windy conditions in this match as well. Who will have the last laugh in their first meeting, Sofia Kenin or Clara Burel?

Prediction: Kenin to win in three sets

Kenin’s vast experience in playing on the hard courts, especially at much bigger events, and the support from the home crowd will give her an added advantage in this match. However, if we take a closer look at her form, she has a poor win-loss record (6-15). Even for Burel, that isn’t too impressive either. Burel has a win-loss record of just 13-19. On the other hand, if we consider their current rankings, Kenin (55) is three places ahead of Burel (58) at the moment. So, this makes this contest more interesting and we can expect a close fight in this match.

Shifting our focus to their playing styles, Burel is really a tricky opponent and her athleticism and consistency are two key factors in her game. She has a decent baseline game with excellent court coverage and can also mix up her shots pretty well. Even her tactical acumen is quite praiseworthy. A minute shift of focus here and there can dearly cost this match to Kenin.

The 25-year-old American tennis star, on the other hand, brings an aggressive brand of tennis to the table. Her wide range of shots and incredible drop shots are two things that separate her a lot from other players. Apart from that, she loves playing from the baseline and can hit winners with both her forehand and backhand. Interestingly, Sofia Kenin excels at disguising whether her backhand is going cross-court or down the line. She keeps her opponents guessing all the time. Kenin’s biggest weapons are her backhand-down-the-line and her inside-in-forehand. Not everyone can hit the slice forehands like she does.

However, talking about her weaknesses, her major weakness is her serve. She has hit just 19 aces this season and committed 68 double faults. Even in her last match she hit only 1 ace and committed 8 double faults. So, if Kenin can put a check on her double fault counts then she’s most likely going to be the winner in this match.