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Match Details
Fixture: (2) Aryna Sabalenka vs Varvara Gracheva
Date: July 7, 2023
Tournament: Wimbledon 2023
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: London, United Kingdom
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Grass
Prize money: £44,700,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | Canada - TSN & RDS | UK - BBC & Eurosport | India - Star Sports
Aryna Sabalenka vs Varvara Gracheva preview
World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka will face off against Varvara Gracheva in the second round of the 2023 Wimbledon on Friday.
Sabalenka commenced her quest for a maiden title at the All England Club against Panna Udvardy. The Belarusian came out the gate swinging as she raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set. She remained ahead of her opponent until the end to clinch the opener.
The second set was a bit one-sided as Sabalenka dropped just one game in it to win the match 6-3, 6-1. It marked her first win at the venue since 2021 after missing last year's edition due to a ban on Russian and Belarusian players.
Gracheva, meanwhile, took on Camila Giorgi in the opening round. The former was off to a fast start as she took a commanding 5-0 lead in the first set. However, she failed to serve out the set at this point and lost the next game as well.
Gracheva didn't let the situation spiral out of control and closed out the set on her second attempt. A single break of serve put the 22-year-old in charge of the second set. She stepped up to serve for the match at 5-3 and after saving three break points, got the job done to win 6-2, 6-3 on her third match point.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Varvara Gracheva head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Varvara Gracheva odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Varvara Gracheva prediction
Sabalenka took a little over an hour to dispatch Udvardy. It was a good match from the Belarusian, with eight aces, 81% of first serve points won, 29 winners and 19 unforced errors. However, she does have the potential to play even better.
Sabalenka missed quite a few easy shots, which either went long or were dumped into the next. She was too eager to pull the trigger and some patience could help her lessen the errors.
Gracheva, meanwhile, wobbled a bit while trying to close out each set against Giorgi in the previous round. If she doesn't get her nerves under control, a player like Sabalenka is unlikely to give her a second shot at victory.
After facing the big-hitting Giorgi, Gracheva is up against another power player in the form of Sabalenka. She managed to keep the ball in play long enough for the Italian to implode in the last round.
A similar strategy could work yet again, but she's likely to crumble due to the Belarusian's relentless aggressive hitting in the end.
Pick: Aryna Sabalenka to win in straight sets.
