In what promises to be a fascinating battle between youth and experience, the fast-rising American young gun Sofia Kenin will take on former US Open champion and world #4 Samantha Stosur for the Guangzhou Open title. Both women have played some superb tennis so far this week, but who will claim the title?
Guangzhou Open Final Prediction
Sofia Kenin vs Samantha Stosur
Head-to-head: Stosur 2-0 Kenin
Though Kenin will surely be the favourite heading into this match after the season she has put together, Stosur will be able to take real confidence from the fact that she has handily beaten the American in both of their previous clashes. The first came last season in Strasbourg on the clay, with Stosur winning 6-3 6-2 in the first round. When their rivalry was renewed, again in the first round, in Eastbourne earlier this year, Stosur picked up another comfortable victory, winning 6-2 6-3.
And the Australian has been rolling back the years in Guangzhou this week with some excellent performances. She opened her campaign with a quickfire 6-2 6-4 win over Tereza Martincova of the Czech Republic, before battling past Bernarda Pera of the USA, 6-4 1-6 7-6, despite a mid-match loss of focus. She then booked her place in the semifinals by avenging her Jiangxi Open defeat to Nina Stojanovic with a 6-2 7-6 win. There she finished strong to best Viktorija Golubic 2-6 7-6 6-1.
Kenin, meanwhile, has looked imperious for much of this week. She began her Guangzhou Open with a comprehensive 6-4 6-2 win over Germany’s Laura Siegemund and backed that win up by beating Ukrainian teenager Katarina Zavatska by the same score in the second round. In her quarterfinal with Jasmine Paolini, she broke late to secure the first set before storming to a 7-5 6-1 victory in the second. Kenin was then given a real test in the semifinal by Anna Blinkova, but played her best when it mattered most to record a 7-6 4-6 6-1 win.
Stosur, though primarily a baseliner, will need to play as much of this match in the forecourt as she can. If she does not seek to impose herself on the American early in the rallies and move forward, Kenin will likely be able to seize the initiative in the match with her consistent depth from the back of the court. Stosur will also need to serve well and take her chances when the appear, something she did in Eastbourne. Ultimately, however, despite their head-to-head record it is hard to look past Kenin, who has looked every inch a champion this week at the Guangzhou Open.
Prediction: Kenin in 3
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