WTA French Open – Varvara Gracheva vs Sofia Kenin
🧠 Form & Context
Varvara Gracheva
📉 Off the radar: Had not won more than one match at any event in 2025—until her recent semifinal run at the Paris 125K.
⚠️ Ranking pressure: Defending fourth-round points from her 2024 Roland-Garros breakout, where she beat Sakkari and Begu.
🏠 Home soil hopes: Now representing France, and historically performs best on Parisian clay.
🔁 Inconsistent baseline game: Can be dangerous when confident, but struggles with unforced errors under pressure.
Sofia Kenin
🎯 French Open comfort zone: Finalist in 2020 and has made at least the third round in her last four appearances at Roland-Garros.
📈 Ranking recovery: Climbed from No. 168 to the top 30 in under a year, with finalist runs in Tokyo and Charleston, plus a Dubai quarterfinal.
🔨 Flat-hitting disruptor: Known for her early ball striking and aggressive court positioning, especially effective on slower clay when in rhythm.
🧱 Reliable vs. lower ranks: Holds a 9–1 record in 2025 against opponents ranked outside the top 50.
🔍 Match Breakdown
Kenin enters with form, momentum, and surface comfort on her side. Her compact groundstrokes and willingness to attack second serves should disrupt Gracheva’s rhythm and expose her inconsistency. If Kenin serves well and keeps the rallies short, she’ll hold the edge throughout.
Gracheva can be dangerous if she finds her rhythm and draws Kenin into longer exchanges. Her recent Paris 125K semifinal may spark some belief, but her 2025 inconsistency and ranking pressure could weigh her down as the match progresses.
🔮 Prediction
Expect a competitive start, especially if Gracheva feeds off home support, but Kenin’s superior form and sharper execution should win out in the big moments.
Prediction: Sofia Kenin in straight sets — steady aggression outpaces patchy resistance 🎾
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