Alina Charaeva vs Sofia Kenin Preview & Prediction | 2026 Korea Open | First Round

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Sofia Kenin takes on Alina Charaeva in round one of the Korea Open. 

Ranking points: WTA 250

Start date/time: 22 September 2026 at 8:20 pm

Venue: Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Center, Seoul, South Korea

Surface: Outdoor hard

How to watch on TV: UK – Sky Sports Tennis / US – Tennis Channel

How to watch online: UK – Sky Go / US – Tennis Channel

Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Alina Charaeva vs Sofia Kenin ticket information

Alina Charaeva vs Sofia Kenin prediction

Alina Charaeva competes at the Korea Open after reaching the quarter-finals in Sao Paulo last week. The 24-year-old recovered from a set down to beat Xiaodi You before producing an impressive 6-2 6-3 victory over Elina Avanesyan. Her run was eventually ended by Anna Blinkova, who beat her 6-4 7-5 in the last eight. Charaeva had previously lost 6-4 6-4 to Susan Bandecchi in US Open qualifying. Her standout achievement of 2026 came on hard courts at the WTA 125 in Midland, where she captured the biggest singles title of her career. She is at a career high of 133 in the world.

Sofia Kenin has not been in action since the US Open, which saw her reach the second-round. The former Australian Open champion defeated Venus Williams 6-2 7-6 (6), saving seven set points in the second set, before she lost to world number three Jessica Pegula. Immediately before New York, Kenin produced a strong comeback win over Eva Lys in Cincinnati, but then lost a tight three setter to Marta Kostyuk. It’s still not been a great year for Kenin, whose best result is a third-round appearance in Charleston.

Kenin has the top-level pedigree, but Charaeva has the stronger recent form and comes into this match with two recent wins under her belt. 

Alina Charaeva vs Sofia Kenin tip: Both players to win a set