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Match details
Fixture: (2) Aryna Sabalenka vs Katie Boulter
Date: 30 June 2021
Tournament: The Championships, Wimbledon
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: London, Great Britain
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Grass
Prize money: £17,066,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Aryna Sabalenka vs Katie Boulter preview
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka will take on British hopeful Katie Boulter on Wednesday as she looks to secure a third-round berth at Wimbledon for the first time in her career.
Sabalenka has struggled on grass in the past, but the World No. 4 has made rapid strides on the surface this year. The Belarusian arrived at SW19 on the back of a quarterfinal appearance at Eastbourne, where her run was cut short by Camila Giorgi in a tight three-setter.
The Abu Dhabi and Madrid champion waltzed into the Wimbledon second round with a devastating display against the tricky Monica Niculescu on Monday. Firing 48 winners, Sabalenka recorded just her second-ever main draw victory at the Championships.
Sabalenka's second-round opponent, Katie Boulter, made the second round of the Championships in 2018 but a back injury prevented her from participating in her home Slam the next year.
The 219th-ranked Boulter has been working her way up the rankings as she continues her comeback. The 24-year-old made the quarterfinals at Nottingham just a couple of weeks ago and was rewarded with a Wimbledon wildcard.
The former World No. 82 didn't have the best of starts at SW19 on Monday against American qualifier Danielle Lao, but she raised her game to come through 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-4.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Katie Boulter head-to-head
Aryna Sabalenka leads Katie Boulter 1-0 in the head-to-head. The Belarusian beat Boulter 6-3, 6-4 at the 2019 Australian Open in the second round.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Katie Boulter prediction
Despite powering 48 winners past Niculescu in her opening match of the Championships, Sabalenka still has room for improvement on both serve and return. She landed only 55% of her first serves and had a paltry 45% success rate on break points, converting five out of 11.
If the Belarusian can address these issues, she can make a deep run in the competition.
Katie Boulter, on the other hand, did not have a smooth passage to the second round. After clawing her way back from a set deficit, the Brit was forced to overcome an early break in the decider before securing the win. Another slow start against a player of Sabalenka's cailber will mean curtains for the Brit.
Boulter, on her part, will need to rely on her strong first serve and net skills to put Sabalenka on the back foot. However, her return game isn't the strongest and she might struggle to make inroads into Sabalenka's service games.
Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka to win in straight sets.
