Two talented young stars face off in Charleston, with 14th seed Daria Kasatkina taking on 7th seed Sloane Stephens for a place in the semi-finals at the Volvo Car Open. This match will take place on Stadium court at around 15:00 Charleston Time (20:00 UK Time) and the winner will face 1st seed Angelique Kerber or 13th seed Irina-Camelia Begu in the final four.
Both Kasatkina and Stephens have been impressive so far in Charleston; neither of the two has dropped a set so far. Kasatkina has conceded only nine games on her way to the final, easing past Saisai Zheng, Ana Konjuh and Louise Chirico extremely comfortably, and she will be extremely dangerous if she continues to play like that. Stephens has one advantage of receiving a bye in the first round, and was fairly comfortable in wins over dangerous players Danka Kovinic and 12th seed Daria Gavrilova in Charleston; she too is in good form coming into this intriguing clash.
If both continue the form they are in, it should be a very tight clash, though both can be erratic and it’s important for both to to play at the level they have previously met in Charleston; a poor performance by one could see an easy win for the other. Stephens can be particularly erratic when serving and must serve at a high percentage today, considering that Kasatkina is a good returner. The American should also look to attack the Russian’s game as much as possible, and should look to utilize her strong movement to try and dictate the play. Stephens is arguably the stronger clay court player, which could be an advantage. Kasatkina is, however, arguably in slightly better form here, which could be an advantage, and should look to try and use her power to dictate play. The 14th seed should look to try and attack the American’s serve as much as possible, though must serve well herself against a decent returner. She should also look to try and match the 7th seed’s movement around court.
The two have never met before; another factor that makes this clash interesting. Stephens has played some good tennis this year and will certainly be dangerous, though Kasatkina has been in great form this year and in Charleston, and should be able to edge this highly anticipated match.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 3
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