Kamilla Rakhimova vs Peyton Stearns

🧠 Form & Context

Kamilla Rakhimova
🔥 On a roll this week—came through qualifying and followed it up with a gritty three-set win over Cocciaretto in R1.
🌱 Grass has been her best surface in 2025 (5–2), pushing her career record to 12–11 on the turf.
🛣️ Otherwise a rocky year (14–19), including a 2–9 mark on hard courts—this surface provides a rare spark.
😤 Carries revenge motivation after losing to Stearns on Bogotá clay in their only prior meeting (2023 SF).

Peyton Stearns
🚀 Enjoyed a breakout spring with a semifinal in Rome and a solid run in Madrid—now inside the top 35.
🌱 Still raw on grass: just 1–0 this swing after beating Xu, and 3–4 career overall on the surface.
🎢 Form has cooled since her Rome high—suffered a R1 exit at Roland Garros and is just 4–4 since.
💪 Physical baseline player who handles pace well and can muscle through long rallies when her first serve is firing.

🔍 Match Breakdown

Rakhimova’s game is suited to this surface—she flattens her forehand early, takes cuts on second-serve returns, and looks to carve angles off the backhand side. Her ability to vary pace with slices and sneak forward disrupts rhythm and draws errors.

Stearns brings bigger weapons. Her kick serve jumps off the surface and opens up forehand combos when she lands first serves above 60%. She’ll look to take control with depth and acceleration, but her grass footwork is still adapting.

Pressure points will be critical: Rakhimova has already battled through three deciders in Eastbourne and is riding a wave of match toughness. Stearns has dropped just one set this week, but she’s prone to overpressing if rallies extend too long or points don’t finish cleanly.

🔮 Prediction

This should be a clash of styles—Rakhimova's grass smarts and match momentum versus Stearns' power and ranking edge. Expect streaky patches, momentum swings, and key battles on second-serve returns. In the end, Stearns’ heavier game and more consistent first strike may tilt it—but it won’t be easy.

Pick: Stearns in 3 sets — first-serve efficiency and forehand aggression carry her across the line, but Rakhimova keeps it competitive.