Petra Kvitová vs Anna Blinkova Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Cincinnati Open

Prediction published on 12/08/2023, 14:15  by Devesh Jaganath in Tennis Predictions

The world number nine Petra Kvitova will take on 37th-ranked Anna Blinkova in the first round of the WTA Cincinnati Masters on Sunday. The winner of this match will go on to face either Belinda Bencic or the qualifier she is drawn against. If Kvitova wins this match, she could be facing Bencic for the second time in the space of a week after she lost to the Swiss in the second round in Montreal. Kvitova has had a very good season so far, working her way from outside the top 15 at the start of the year to inside the top ten at present. During that time, she has earned two titles in Miami and Berlin, beating Elena Rybakina and Donna Vekic, respectively. She is now 26-9 for the season and 18-6 on the hard court. While it has been all very positive for her this season, it is worth mentioning that she did take a month’s break after Wimbledon and did look like she lacked match sharpness in Montreal last week. If she can find her rhythm early in this match, she should live up to her favourite tag. 

Anna Blinkova was also sent packing in the second round in Montreal, losing in straight sets to Daria Kasatkina. She’s struggled to find the form she showed in Stuttgart, where she reached the final, failing to get past the third round of any tournament since. Still, she has been consistent for the most part this season, exiting only twice in the first round of any tournament, which has seen her improve her world ranking from 72nd at the start of the year to well inside the top 40 coming into this tournament. Her record for the year stands at 25-20 and 10-8 on the hard court, which is not particularly her favourite surface. She’s currently the 4/1 outsider in this match, but with question marks over her opponent’s fitness, she could spring a surprise result in the first round.