Line Calls, presented by FanDuel: Sofia Kenin vs. Irina-Camelia Begu, Charleston

WATCH: Sofia Kenin has been playing much better tennis recently, but does Zach Cohen from @TennisBets think she’s worth a wager on Wednesday?

On Wednesday, Sofia Kenin will face Irina-Camelia Begu in the second round of the Charleston Open. Kenin is coming off a 6-1, 7-6 (5), 6-1 win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich, and the American will now look to win back-to-back matches for the second tournament in a row. While that might not seem like much of a feat, Kenin has struggled to find consistency over the last few years. But this is a player who is capable of cracking the Top 25 again, she just needs to start building her confidence—and we believe she’s on the right track.

Last month in Indian Wells, Kenin lost two tiebreakers to Elena Rybakina, who ultimately ended up winning that event. Then, Kenin won two matches in Miami before losing a competitive two-set battle with Bianca Andreescu. Overall, Kenin is starting to show a lot more flashes on the court, and improved fitness is part of that.

In their only career meeting, last year in Cleveland, Kenin earned a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Begu. It took the former Australian Open champion just an hour and 13 minutes, and that was when the 24-year-old was arguably playing her worst. But her baseline game was overpowering for Begu then, and one would have to think that it’ll be the same here.

While Begu is best on clay, Kenin can hit winners through the slower courts, and the dirt will help the American track down more shots defensively. It’s also a little hard to give Begu the clay-court edge over Kenin when you also consider that Kenin has been to a French Open final (in 2020).

All in all, this just seems like a good spot to back Kenin as a plus-money play. It doesn’t hurt that she’ll have the crowd behind her, on an intimate side court.

Line Call: Kenin To Win (+116)