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Since starting the 2020 season in grand fashion with the Australian Open title, Sofia Kenin hasn't been able to back it up in the way one would have expected her to. She slumped to two opening-round defeats at Dubai and Doha in her last two tournaments.
In four matches since her Major win, the young American has lost thrice which includes a three-set defeat to former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. Clearly, her confidence has been shaken and she is desperately trying to find the lost touch and rhythm before the important North American swing begins in Indian Wells next week.
In her quest to end her losing streak, the World No. 5 is playing at the WTA International event in Lyon, where she is the top seed and the favourite to win the title. As the only top-10 player in the draw, she should ideally not face much of a hassle and a couple of matches could give her back the confidence that went missing.
But before she can dream of holding the trophy, Kenin needs to ensure she doesn't make any mistake against a player who has a winning record against her - World No. 107 Vitalia Diatchenko. The Russian pummelled her 6-4, 6-1 at the Wimbledon Championships two years back and would look to draw inspiration from that win.
With that said, Kenin is a much-improved player now, as evident from her higher rank and her achievements. This isn't expected to be easy but Kenin should be able to pull through.
Here's all you need to know about the WTA Lyon Open 2020:
Tournament: Open 6eme Sens - Metropole de Lyon, France
Category: WTA International
City: Lyon, France
Prize money: $251, 750
Tournament schedule: March 2-8, 2020
Match schedule: (1) Sofia Kenin (USA) vs Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS) match not before 7:30 pm IST on Wednesday, March 4, 2020.
Head-to-head: Diatchenko leads 1-0
Live Telecast: There will be no live telecast in India
Live Scores: Click here
