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Match details
Fixture: (1) Aryna Sabalenka vs (5) Elena Rybakina
Date: October 6, 2023
Tournament: China Open 2023
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: National Tennis Center, Beijing, China
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $8,127,389
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina preview
Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will clash in a battle between Major champions in the quarterfinals of the 2023 China Open on Friday (October 6).
Sabalenka knocked out Sofia Kenin and Katie Boulter in straight sets to progress to the third round, where Jasmine Paolini awaited her. The two were neck and neck in the first set, but the Belarusian gained the upper hand towards the end.
With Paolini serving to stay in the set at 5-4, Sabalenka created a break point opportunity and converted it on the first try to take the set. The World No. 1 struck first in the second set to go 3-1 up, but dropped the next four games to trail 5-3.
Paolini was unable to close out the set after that as Sabalenka fought back to level the score and force a tie-break. The Belarusian edged out her opponent in it to win the match 6-4, 7-6(4).
Rybakina, meanwhile, scored wins over Qinwen Zheng and Tatjana Maria to set up a third-round contest against Mirra Andreeva. The Kazakh was oufoxed in the first set as she dropped her serve twice to lose the opener.
Andreeva landed the first blow in the second set too as she went up a break to lead 4-2. However, Rybakina dug deep and swept the next four games to claim the set. There was no stopping the Kazakh now and she lost just one game in the third set to wrap up a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 comeback win.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina head-to-head
Sabalenka leads Rybakina 4-1 in the head-to-head. The Kazakh won their previous encounter at the 2023 BNP Paribas Open in straight sets.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina prediction
It took some time for Rybakina to figure out Andreeva, but once she did, she played quite well. She blasted 37 winners, but almost matched the count with her 34 unforced errors.
Sabalenka looked to be in control of the match when Paolini started to put up a fight. The World No. 1 rose to the occasion and quelled a spirited challenge from her opponent. She finished the match with 41 winners and 22 unforced errors.
Sabalenka and Rybakina will now face off for the third time this season. While the former triumphed in the final of the Australian Open, the latter had the last laugh in the Indian Wells final.
Both are pretty good servers and love to play some aggressive tennis. Sabalenka has lost only one match against Rybakina so far, but the remainder of her four wins have all come in three sets.
The two have an engaging rivalry and with both being in good form, this could match could be another fight to the finish. Sabalenka has performed slightly better than Rybakina over the last few weeks. Thus based on their form, the Belarusian has a good shot at extending her winning record against her rival.
Pick: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets.
