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Match Details
Fixture: Sofia Kenin vs Caroline Dolehide
Date: September 22, 2023
Tournament: Guadalajara Open 2023
Round: Semifinal
Venue: Panamerican Tennis Center, Guadalajara, Mexico
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $2,788,468
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video
Sofia Kenin vs Caroline Dolehide preview
Sofia Kenin and Caroline Dolehide will clash in an all-American semifinal showdown at the 2023 Guadalajara Open on Friday.
Kenin scored wins over Chloe Zhao, Anhelina Kalinina and Jelena Ostapenko to make the last eight, where she faced Leylah Fernandez. The American secured an early break of serve to go 2-0 up in the first set, but her opponent got back on even terms to make it 2-2.
Kenin broke once again to go 4-2 up and held on to the lead this time to clinch the set. Fernandez forged a headstart for herself in the second set and even served for it at 5-3, but got broken at this point. She held a couple of set points on the American's serve in the next game, but wasted them as well.
Fernandez then gained the upper hand in the tie-break to claim the set. Kenin raised her level after losing a tight set and dropped just one game in the third set to win the match 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-1.
Dolehide knocked out Peyton Stearns, Sachia Vickery and Ekaterina Alexandrova to reach the quarterfinals, where she was up against Martina Trevisan. The American came back from a break down in the first set once, but couldn't do the same again and went on to lose the set.
Dolehide fell behind 4-1 in the second set, but fought back to make it 4-4. She then fended off three match points on her own serve to force a tie-break, in which she saved another match point before coming out on top to take it.
An early break of serve in the deciding set put Dolehide in the driver's seat. She served for the contest at 5-3 and closed out the proceedings on her sixth match point to complete a 3-6, 7-6 (9), 6-3 comeback win.
Sofia Kenin vs Caroline Dolehide head-to-head
The two have never faced off on the WTA tour before, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0. However, they've played against each other thrice on the ITF circuit, with Dolehide leading Kenin 2-1 in the rivalry.
Sofia Kenin vs Caroline Dolehide odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Sofia Kenin vs Caroline Dolehide prediction
Kenin overcame a shaky serving performance to survive a tough challenge from Fernandez. She coughed up 14 double faults, but played a relatively clean game otherwise.
Dolehide showed tremendous mental fortitude in saving four match points to reach the biggest semifinal of her career. Her serving stats were quite poor too, with 11 double faults and just 38% of points won on second serve.
Kenin did quite on return in the previous rounds, so if Dolehide continues with her poor serving, she could find herself in trouble. The former Australian Open champion has been timing her shots really well and redirecting them perfectly too boot.
Dolehide isn't afraid to try out different tactics until she finds a suitable one to get her opponents off balance. Kenin could be running on fumes at this point as she's gunning to reach her second final in a row, after last week's runner-up finish in San Diego. However, her determination and adrenaline should propel her into another championship round.
Pick: Sofia Kenin to win in straight sets.
