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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Iga Swiatek vs Sloane Stephens.
Tournament: Western & Southern Open.
Date: August 17, 2022.
Round: Second Round (Round of 32).
Venue: Lindner Family Tennis Center, Ohio, United States.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $2,527,250.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - Rogers Sportsnet, TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Iga Swiatek vs Sloane Stephens preview
Top seed Iga Swiatek will begin her Cincinnati campaign against former US Open champion Sloane Stephens on Wednesday.
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Swiatek had a sensational first half of the season, winning as many as six titles, including her second Grand Slam crown at Roland Garros. The Pole's exploits helped her build a record 37-match winning streak that came to an end at the hands of Alize Cornet in the third round of Wimbledon.
Since then, however, the 21-year-old has struggled. Her post-Wimbledon run saw her bow out in the quarterfinals in Warsaw and in the third round of the Canadian Open.
With the US Open just days away, Swiatek will be eager to get back to winning ways at Cincinnati.
World No. 57 Stephens, meanwhile, has had a highly inconsistent season.
She won the seventh title of her career at the WTA 250 event in Guadalajara, Mexico, in February. Since then, the 29-year-old's only other notable performance was at the French Open, where she made the last eight.
The American arrived at Cincinnati on the back of a first-round exit in Washington and a second-round defeat in Toronto. Stephens, to her credit, made a thunderous start to her campaign on Monday, swatting aside Alize Cornet 6-1, 6-0.
Iga Swiatek vs Sloane Stephens head-to-head
Swiatek and Stephens have never squared off on the tour before, so their head-to-head remains at a 0-0 deadlock.
Iga Swiatek vs Sloane Stephens odds
(All odds sourced from Oddschecker)
Iga Swiatek vs Sloane Stephens prediction
Swiatek will come into this match as the overwhelming favorite, given her ranking and achievements this season. Her anticipation skills, court coverage and solid groundstrokes will give her the edge in this contest.
However, Swiatek's serve let her down in her tight loss to eventual Canadian Open runner-up Beatriz Haddad Maia last week. She coughed up as many as nine double faults, something she can't afford to repeat against a returner of Stephens' caliber.
The home hope is known for her speed and her excellent ability to convert defense into offense. If Swiatek's serving woes reappear once again, Stephens could fancy her chances of stretching the Pole.
That said, Stephens hasn't been the most consistent under pressure for a few years now and that could tilt the balance in Swiatek's favor if the going gets tough.
Pick: Swiatek to win in three sets.
