Italian Open 2024: Ons Jabeur vs Sofia Kenin preview, head-to-head, prediction, live streaming details

Published at :May 10, 2024 at 1:33 AM

Modified at :May 10, 2024 at 1:33 AM

(Courtesy : Getty Images)

Ons Jabeur is seeded and received a bye in the opening round.

Eighth seed Ons Jabeur will face American Sofia Kenin in the second round of the Italian Open 2024. A former World No. #4, Kenin, advanced to the round of 64 with a straight sets win over Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti, who is currently ranked #46 in the WTA. The 25-year-old Kenin is WR-58 in the latest rankings.

The duo of Ons Jabeur and Sofia Kenin are talented players whose abilities could not translate into dominating the sport. Kenin’s sole Grand Slam title came in 2020 when she lifted the Australian Open trophy. The American made the Roland Garros final in the same year.

Kenin has not had it easy this season, with only two match wins before arriving in Rome. She also made a first-round exit in the Madrid Open against Slovakian Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. The American is at 3-11 this year, while her second-round rival, Ons Jabeur, fares better at 6-8.

In Jabeur’s case, she made it to three finals – twice at Wimbledon (2022, 2023) and once in Flushing Meadows (2022) only to wind up with the runner-up on all three occasions.

During the Madrid WTA 1000 event, Ons Jabeur put on a display of the form that landed her in three Grand Slam singles finals in two years. The Tunisian notched up well-deserved wins against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Leylah Fernandez and Jelena Ostapenko in the Spanish capital. Jabeur began well in the quarterfinals against Madison Keys, taking the first set 6-0, but fell in three sets.

Until then, Jabeur had only three wins in the season and had not won three matches in a row since last September when she won the Ningbo Open in China.

Ons Jabeur vs Sofia Kenin match details

Date: May 10, Friday

Time: TBD

Venue: Foro Italico, Rome

Ons Jabeur vs Sofia Kenin preview

Sofia Kenin will play Ons Jabeur in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. She won her opening round in Rome 6-3, 6-2 against local player Luca Bronzetti in a match that saw an outburst from Kenin at having to continue to play in the rain.

Kenin bested World No. #2 Aryna Sabalenka at Rome in 2023 to make the third round. The American will need to play at that level when she meets Jabeur on Friday. Jabeur is a tricky customer to handle on clay, and besides being a finalist here in 2022 boasts a 91% winning percentage in the recently concluded Madrid Open – another clay court WTA 1000 event.

Head-to-head records

Matches – 7

Sofia Kenin – 5

Ons Jabeur – 2

The head-to-head rivalry between Sofia Kenin and Ons Jabeur is leaning in Kenin’s favour. Kenin leads Jabeur 5-2, and their last contest was in Miami three years ago, where Jabeur took the match in three sets.

Where and how to watch live streaming and TV broadcast of Ons Jabeur vs Sofia Kenin, Italian Open 2024, second round match in India?

WTA TV and Tennis TV will serve as options for Indian viewers looking to tune into the second-round match between Ons Jabeur and Sofia Kenin at the ongoing WTA 1000 Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

Prediction

Kenin is 4-4, and Jabeur is 5-3 in the main draw at Rome. Kenin progressed further than Jabeur last season in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia by reaching the third round, while the Tunisian made a second-round exit. It is Jabeur who has an appearance in the summit clash to her name.

Ons Jabeur is a better performer when playing on clay, with a 61.5 winning percentage in the last 52 weeks against 50% by Kenin. The Tunisian’s career level performance on clay stands at 68-27, a winning rate of 71.6% to 18-20 (47.4%) by Kenin.

Jabeur and Kenin have a similar service game winning percentage this season – 64.2% for the former and 66.1% for the latter. Jabeur, however, has a significant advantage when it comes to return games won – 32.7% to 22.5% by Kenin.

Sofia Kenin needs to curb her tendency to serve double faults – 29 from 10 matches to 15 from 14 matches by Jabeur in 2024.

There is a three-match gap in their head-to-head for Jabeur to contend with, but she is not the top ten player for nothing, while Kenin has fallen from a high of World No. 4 in 2021 to No. 48 currently.

Result: Ons Jabeur to win in three sets.

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