Citi DC Open 2025: Sofia Kenin vs Taylor Townsend preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (6) Sofia Kenin vs (Q) Taylor Townsend

Date: July 24, 2025

Tournament: Mubadala Citi DC Open

Round: Second Round (Round of 16)

Venue: William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center, Washington, D.C., USA

Category: WTA 500

Surface: Hard

Prize Money: $1,282,951

Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, TC Plus | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+, DAZN

Sofia Kenin vs Taylor Townsend preview

Sofia Kenin at the Berlin Tennis Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Sixth seed Sofia Kenin will square off against qualifier Taylor Townsend in the second round of the Citi DC Open 2025.

Kenin commenced her run at the Citi DC Open against fellow American Hailey Baptiste. The former Australian Open champion dictated the play throughout the opening set, breaking her younger rival's serve twice to clinch the set.

Baptiste raised her level in the second set and even led by a break at one point. However, she couldn't close out the set, getting broken while serving for it at 5-4. Kenin worked her way into the set and, after pushing it to a tie-break, came out on top in it for a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win.

Townsend beat Camilo Osorio and Emiliana Arango to book her spot in the main draw of the Citi DC Open. She was up against World No. 37 Tatjana Maria in the first round. The American went on a three-game run in the middle of the first set to go 5-3 up, eventually claiming the set for herself.

A third set looked imminent after Maria went 4-0 up in the second set. However, Townsend flipped the script to avoid going the distance. She swept seven of the next eight games to score a 6-4, 7-5 win.

Sofia Kenin vs Taylor Townsend head-to-head

Their rivalry is tied at 1-1 in main draw matches at the WTA level. Kenin won their most recent encounter in the first round of Wimbledon 2025 in straight sets.

Sofia Kenin vs Taylor Townsend odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Sofia Kenin	-190	+1.5 (-475)	Over 21.5 (-120)
Taylor Townsend	+145	-1.5 (+280)	Under 21.5 (-120)

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

Sofia Kenin vs Taylor Townsend prediction

Taylor Townsend at the French Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Kenin thwarted Baptiste's comeback bid to resume her hardcourt swing on a winning note. She hit 19 winners against 12 unforced errors, and was super aggressive while returning her opponent's serve throughout the contest.

Townsend got a much-needed win in singles by beating Maria in the first round. It marked just her third main draw win in singles this year. She looked down and out in the second set but turned the tables on her older rival to finish the job in straight sets.

Kenin and Townsend crossed paths a few weeks ago at Wimbledon, with the former beating the latter in straight sets. Given Townsend's poor results in singles this year, another win for Kenin is the most likely outcome this time as well.

Pick: Sofia Kenin to win in straight sets.

About the author

Rohit is a journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in covering tennis. Having been with the company for three years, he has proven himself as a formidable force in the field. With a Master's degree in law, Rohit brings his analytical and research skills to the forefront as a journalist. He stays on top of the game by using social media platforms and never misses a match for on-court insights. He values giving credit where it's due, keeping his reporting fair and accurate.

At the outset of his career, Rohit found his niche in writing previews and SEO pieces and it's this expertise that continues to define his role at Sportskeeda. He is particularly proud of one article that garnered an impressive 750k views and surpassed his "wildest dreams." Rohit is not particularly fond of (GOAT) debates and it is one of the reasons why he left the legal world behind. He prefers to view players in "tiers," where they're all esteemed to an extent. However, if pressed to name favorites, he would choose Serena and Venus Williams. The Williams sisters' journey from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of tennis has been his greatest source of inspiration.

When he isn't busy making spot-on predictions about match outcomes, Rohit likes reading, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and comics. As an X-Men fanatic, he's also passionate about board games and enjoys watching movies in his spare time. And don't be surprised if you catch him silently wishing to the tennis gods for the removal of ad scoring from doubles.

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Edited by Rohit