Sofia Kenin vs. Vitalia Diatchenko 3/2/20 - Lyon Open Tennis Picks & Predictions
Last Updated: 03/01/2020 at 12:10 PM ET
Australian Open winner, Sofia Kenin is set to play at the 2020 WTA Lyon Open in France. Kenin will begin her tournament against Vitalia Diatchenko from Russia.
Vitalia Diatchenko last played in an ITF tournament in Egypt where she reached the quarterfinals. It was a good performance by Diatchenko as she looked comfortable for most of the event. Outside of that tournament, it has been a tough season for Vitalia Diatchenko. Vitalia Diatchenko has played in 3 full WTA tournaments in 2020 but the Russian is yet to make it into the second round. Vitalia Diatchenko is an experienced player but she is expected to be challenged in this match as she is playing against the number 1 seed.
Sofia Kenin enters this tournament following a poor run of form in the Middle-East as she failed at both the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championship. Despite those results, Kenin will still be full of confidence as she started the season by winning the Australian Open. Kenin has increased her strength significantly over the past 12 months and that has allowed her to control more points. The added strength has complemented her pace which has made Sofia Kenin an elite player on the WTA tour. Sofia Kenin will be hoping to return to winning ways at this tournament.
Sofia Kenin and Vitalia Diatchenko have played each other once in the past. The match was played in 2018 at Wimbledon where Vitalia Diatchenko won in straight sets.
Despite her win over Sofia Kenin in 2018, I see Vitalia Diatchenko losing this match. Sofia Kenin has established herself as an elite player and she seems to be playing at a level where she can compete with the top players in the world. There is a big gap in skill between Sofia Kenin and Vitalia Diatchenko and as a result, I am predicting Sofia Kenin to win this match in straight sets.
