Cincinnati Open 2025: McCartney Kessler vs Ella Seidel preview, head-to-head, odds, prediction, and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (29) McCartney Kessler vs (Q) Ella Seidel

Date: August 12, 2025

Tournament: Cincinnati Open

Round: Third Round (Round of 32)

Venue: Lindner Family Tennis Center, Mason, Ohio, USA

Category: WTA 1000

Surface: Hard

Prize Money: $5,152,599

Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN

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McCartney Kessler vs Ella Seidel preview

Kessler at the 2025 Cincinnati Open (Image Source: Getty)

29th-seed McCartney Kessler will take on qualifier Ella Seidel in the third round of the 2025 Cincinnati Open on Tuesday, August 12. The winner will meet Varvara Gracheva or Karolina Muchova in the fourth round.

Kessler commenced her North American hardcourt swing at the Citi DC Open, where she suffered a first-round exit. At the Canadian Open, the American defeated Maya Joint and Mirra Andreeva to reach the fourth round. However, she failed to get to the quarterfinals upon losing to Marta Kostyuk.

Kessler received a first-round bye in Cincinnati, following which she faced fellow American Caty McNally in the second round. The 26-year-old created 11 break point opportunities, converting five of them en route to a comfortable 6-4, 6-3 win.

Meanwhile, Seidel's only hardcourt outing on the main tour before the Cincinnati Open came at the Transylvania Open. At the WTA 250 event, the German made it to the main draw via the qualifiers. She defeated Jaqueline Cristian and Anna Blinkova before falling to eventual champion Anastasia Potapova in the quarterfinals.

Seidel beat Varvara Lepchenko and Priscilla Hon in the Cincinnati Open qualifiers. She staged a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback win over Polina Kudermetova in the first round. After splitting the first two sets against Emma Navarro in the second round, the 20-year-old was 1-4 down in the decider. However, she won three back-to-back break points to win the match 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.

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McCartney Kessler vs Ella Seidel head-to-head

This will be the first time the two face each other on the tour. Hence, the head-to-head stands at 0-0 ahead of Tuesday's fixture.

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McCartney Kessler vs Ella Seidel odds

Player Name	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Ella Seidel	+260	+1.5 (-110)	Over 20.5 (-118)
McCartney Kessler	-350	-1.5 (-135)	Under 20.5 (-120)

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM.)

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McCartney Kessler vs Ella Seidel prediction

Seidel in action at the 2025 Cincinnati Open (Image Source: Getty)

Kessler has enjoyed a decent season on hardcourts this year, with an 18-10 win-loss record and a title at the Hobart International. Despite her inconsistent form during the North American hardcourt swing, she delivered an impressive overall performance against McNally in the second round.

Seidel has played just five hardcourt matches on the main tour this year, winning four of them. The German displayed remarkable resilience in both her matches in Cincinnati, overcoming situations where the odds were against her.

Kessler's better ranking and overall superior play make her the favorite heading into the fixture. She also has better experience playing at the top level. However, given the American's recent inconsistent run, the possibility of an upset is quite high.

Pick: Kessler to win in three sets.