The Canadian Open 2022 has just begun and here is the preview for Kaia Kanepi versus Naomi Osaka
Kaia Kanepi
The experienced Kaia Kanepi will be entering the tournament with some confidence after making it to the final of the recently-concluded Citi Open in Washington. She almost ended her 9-year title drought but an impressive Ludmilla Samsonova held her nerves to win her second WTA Tour title. The veteran Kanepi would be looking to build on the fruitful campaign and get one over Naomi Osaka in the round of 64 clash in Montreal.
The Estonian tennis pro has had a topsy-turvy year as of now. She made it to the quarter-final of the Australian Open but things went downhill for her since then. World No. 31 will bank on her recent form and try and replicate a similar performance to the one she delivered at Citi Open, or even one better – win her 5th title.
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka is an enigma and someone you can’t count out at any point. Her performances this year have left a lot to be desired. The level of tennis we expect from her has only been seen in flashes. The four-time Grand Slam singles champion made it to the final of the 2022 Miami Open. That was the furthest she reached in any competition this year.
The former world No. 1 suffered an injury during her French Open clash against Anisimova. Osaka had to skip the entire grass season before returning at the Silicon Valley Classic. Coco Gauff defeated her in the second round but the 24-year-old did put up a strong fight.
Head-to-Head and Prediction
The 37-year-old Kaia Kanepi holds a 1-0 lead over Naomi Osaka. She defeated Osaka in a three-set affair at the 2017 US Open.
Predicting the outcome is certainly tough. However, we are expecting Kanepi to get the better of Osaka once again in a closely-contested match lasting three sets.
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