Damien Kayat previews Sloane Stephens vs Sofia Kenin and Emma Radacanu vs Danka Kovinic in the Selected Round of 128 Matches of the Indian Wells Masters.
Sloane Stephens 87/100 | Sofia Kenin 10/11
How is this for starting things off with a bang? Two American Grand Slam champions are set to duke it out in a blockbuster first-round encounter at Indian Wells.
The ever-mercurial Sloane Stephens is something of an enigma. After winning the 2017 US Open and 2018 Miami Masters, many would have envisaged Stephens operating in the upper echelons of the game for years to come. But poor form and an indifferent attitude have seen her languish in the mid-tier of women’s tennis for the last few years.
But 2022 did see Stephens won her first title in four years (the Abierto Zapopan in Guadalajara). A really nuggety defensive baseliner, Stephens has perhaps fallen victim to being slightly too passive in her approach (especially in this era dominated by the likes of Swiatek and Sabalenka). 2023 has perfectly encapsulated the Jekyll and Hyde nature of Stephens.
She lost her first three consecutive matches. But she would go on to reach back-to-back quarterfinals at the Merida and Austin Opens. Who knows which Stephens will rock up this week?
24-year-old Sofia Kenin has endured a torrid post-pandemic period. She- like Stephens- was perched on the precipice of greatness, winning the 2020 Aussie Open and reaching the final at Roland Garros.
But her form fell off a sheer cliff in 2021. Matters weren’t helped by the on-off coaching arrangement she has with her father. Also, health became an issue. She battled appendicitis in 2021 and then went through a raft of injury woes in 2022.
She actually fell temporarily outside the top 300 in the world rankings. Yikes! But she at least started this year with some signs of positivity, reaching the semi-finals of the Hobart International. But she has reverted back to her struggles since then, going 1-5 in her last six matches.
Verdict: Stephens to win at 87/100
Stephens leads Kenin 1-0 in their head-to-head rivalry. The 29-year-old won a gruelling three-set battle in Toronto last year. Much like with Ostapenko, it’s really hard to make accurate predictions with Stephens. One would think the clay-court aficionado should feel at home on these relatively slow surfaces.
She should be able to chase down plenty and return it with interest. But Kenin wasn’t a French Open finalist for nothing and will incorporate plenty of drop-shots and slice. Kenin will likely be the one forcing the issue. And that may be her undoing in the long run against the counterpunching Stephens.
Emma Radacanu 4/11 | Danka Kovinic 21/10
This actually could turn out to be quite a well contested battle. The travails of World No.77 Emma Radacanu are the stuff of legend. The Brit was catapulted into tennis superstardom after winning the 2021 US Open as a teenager.
And she hasn’t been able to come anywhere close to replicating that form since. She reached one semi-final throughout the entire 2022 campaign (at the Korea Open). There are factors to consider.
The almost psychotic press scrutiny she had to endure was tiresome to witness. She also suffered through a crippling wrist injury towards the end of last year. Still, you can’t help but look at Radacanu as a massive disappointment over the past two 16 months or so.
The 20-year-old takes a 2-2 record for the year into this opening encounter. She actually looked quite competitive at the Aussie Open, matching Cori Gauff stroke for stroke in their 2nd set tiebreak.
But she hasn’t been able to play competitive tennis since, withdrawing from last week’s Austin Open due to tonsillitis.
This has been a really schizophrenic season for World No.62 Danka Kovinic. The 28-year-old Montenegrin was actually a losing semi-finalist at the Auckland Open (Cori Gauff once again was the one who accounted for her).
She then faced an early exit at the Aussie Open prior to a solid quarterfinal run in Lyon. But the wheels have fallen off big style since then. After losing to Alycia Parks in Lyon she was shocked by Stefania Bojica in Dubai qualifying.
To put that into context, Bojica has never been ranked inside the top 600 in her entire career. Se was then dumped out of the Austin Open in the first round by British journeywoman Heather Watson. Kovinic is a doughty baseliner who can provide difficulties to Radacanu (a fact that the Brit can attest to).
Verdict: Radacanu to win in three at 5/2
Kovinic won their only previous encounter at last year’s Aussie Open. The Radacanu that we witnessed at Flushing Meadows in 2021 would theoretically wipe the floor with Kovinic. But the difference in quality between these two may not be so stark. Radacanu has barely played any tennis and may take some time to adjust this week. Still, I expect the Brit to warm to the task and take down Kovinic in three.
