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Match Details
Fixture: [1] Aryna Sabalenka vs [31] Sofia Kenin
Date: May 10, 2025
Tournament: Italian Open 2025
Round: Third Round
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: $6,831,315
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Aryna Sabalenka vs Sofia Kenin preview
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will face 31st-seeded Sofia Kenin in the third round of the 2025 Italian Open on Saturday (May 10).
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Sabalenka has been in sublime form in 2025 thus far, winning 32 of her 37 tour-level matches and winning titles in Madrid, Miami, and Brisbane. The Belarusian has hit the ground running during this year's European claycourt swing and will be eager to do well at Foro Italico, where she contested the title match last year.
Having received a first-round bye, the red-hot 27-year-old dispatched World No. 34 Anastasia Potapova 6-2, 6-2 in just over an hour to reach the third round of the 1000-level event in Rome. The top seed's next opponent will be Kenin, who has also put together a respectable season on the WTA Tour this year with a 19-10 win/loss record and a runner-up finish at last month's Charleston Open.
The former World No. 4 also received a first-round bye at this year's Italian Open. Like Sabalenka, the American put together a commanding display in the second round of the tournament as she routed a resurgent Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-0 in one hour and seven minutes.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Sofia Kenin head-to-head
Sabalenka leads Kenin by a margin of 3-1 in their head-to-head meetings on the WTA Tour. For academic purposes, while the Belarusian has won all three of her hardcourt matches against the American, she tasted a straight-sets defeat in their lone claycourt clash in the second round of the 2023 Italian Open.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Sofia Kenin odds
(Odds will be added when available)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Sofia Kenin prediction
Sabalenka has been the most dangerous yet stable baseliner on the women's pro circuit for some time now. While the World No. 1 always possessed swashbuckling groundstrokes from both wings, she has improved her endurance and rally tolerance a lot over the last few years, making her a firm favorite for the big tournaments on clay.
Kenin, meanwhile, touched great heights five years ago with her lone Major triumph in Melbourne but has since regressed due to motivational issues and injuries. That said, the 26-year-old has given a good account of herself recently, showing an uncompromising aggressive intent on her quick-strike shots.
The keys to winning for both players will be to expand the scope of their groundstrokes and dominate cross-court rallies. Since Sabalenka is far more adept at changing direction and moving her opponents around, she will most likely take this match-up and reach the Round of 16 in Rome.
Pick: Sabalenka to win in straight sets.
