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Sofia Kenin vs Petra Kvitova Odds & Pick: French Open Women’s Singles Semifinals

Hayley Graham

by Hayley Graham in Tennis

Updated Mar 8, 2021 · 8:59 AM PST

Sofia Kenin hitting a forehand return in a match at the Australian Open.
United States' Sofia Kenin makes a forehand return to Australia's Maddison Inglis during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021.(AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
  • The second of two semifinal matches will be played tomorrow at 10:15 AM EST
  • Sofia Kenin and Petra Kvitova are the last two seeded players
  • Below are updated odds and a preview for the match

The women’s side of the 2020 French Open has been anything but predictable. Kenin reached her first French Open semifinals after defeating fellow American Danielle Rose Collins. Kvitova reaches the semifinals after beating Germany’s Laura Siegemund and enters the match as the slight favorite to win and head to the finals.

[4] Kenin vs. [7] Kvitova Semifinal Odds

Player Spread Moneyline Total
[4] Sofia Kenin +3.5 (-121) +150 O 21.5 (-103)
[7] Petra Kvitova -3.5 (-103) -186 U 21.5 (-122)

Odds taken Oct 7 at DraftKings

Kenin’s Road to the Semifinals

After winning the Australian Open earlier this year, Kenin was looking to have a career year. Unfortunately, after tennis came back a few months ago, Kenin wasn’t finding success. But she managed to find some success and her old form at the French Open.

Kenin has definitely had a tougher road to the semifinals than her opponent, Kvitova. It’s taken her three sets in four out of her five matches to beat her opponents, and none of these opponents were top-ranked WTA players.

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Kenin won the all-American battle against Danielle Rose Collins, winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 in just over two hours. Despite the three sets, and losing one, Kenin was steady throughout the match, and quite consistent. She took advantage of Collins’ inconsistent serving from the second set onwards. She didn’t miss a beat in the third set of the match, not allowing Collins to even take a game away.

Kvitova’s Road to the Semifinals

Petra Kvitova earned herself a spot in the semifinals of Roland Garros for the first time since 2012. Over the course of five matches at Roland Garros, Kvitova has yet to drop a set. But Kenin will be her hardest opponent of the tournament thus far. She looks to book a ticket to her first French Open final.

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She’s been quite dominant with her strong forehand, and impressive serves, recording multiple aces each match. She leads the tournament with 24 aces recorded, as well as the percentage of service games won. Her serve and left-handed forehand will be her strengths in the semifinal match. In her previous match, she recorded 22 winners while only committing 15 unforced errors. She defeated her quarterfinal opponent, Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-3 in just 78 minutes.

Head-to-Head

The two players will meet for the third time in their careers on Thursday. Kvitova leads the head-to-head record 2-0, with their most recent match happening last year on clay in Madrid. Kvitova was able to take that match in straight sets.

Kenin vs. Kvitova Head-to-Head Statistics

Sofia Kenin
VS
Petra Kvitova
6 WTA Standing 11
0 Head-to-Head wins 2
4 Sets dropped at 2020 French Open 0
3 Recorded aces at 2020 French Open 24

Despite the uneven number comparisons above, the two players actually match up well against each other, which will make for a tough battle.

Best Bet

Kvitova is known to not be the quickest player in the tournament, so Kenin has the opportunity to capitalize on that. But the conditions in Paris have been favorable to Kvitova’s hard, heavy hits from the bassline. What will be interesting to see in this match is if Kenin’s quickness to the ball will interfere with what has been Kvitova’s strength during the tournament.

Kenin’s backhand has been a topic of conversation for the past week in France. She’s showcased power and accuracy that wasn’t as prevalent in her game before. This will come in to play heavily in this match, as she’ll be able to challenge Kvitova’s strong lefty forehand.

This will be the tougher match of the two semifinal matches being played. It’s expected to go the full three sets, and it possible that Kenin takes the match, booking her ticket to her first French Open final.

Best Bet: Kenin (+150)

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