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Match details
Fixture: (17) Elena Rybakina vs (31) Viktorija Golubic
Date: 15 March 2022
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open
Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)
Venue: Indian Wells, California, USA
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Match timing: Approx. 7 pm local time, 10 pm ET, 2 am GMT, 7.30 am IST
Prize money: $8,369,455
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Elena Rybakina vs Viktorija Golubic preview
17th seed Elena Rybakina will look to reach the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open for the first time in her career when she meets 31st seed Viktorija Golubic on Tuesday.
After finishing as the runner-up in Adelaide, Rybakina's season was marred by a host of injuries and illnesses, triggering walkovers and retirements in her next three tournaments. The Kazakh finally appears to have overcome her injury woes, winning back-to-back matches this week for the first time since Adelaide.
Having begun her Indian Wells campaign with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Alison Van Uytvanck, she served up a masterclass against two-time champion Victoria Azarenka. Rybakina didn't drop serve on her way to a 6-3, 6-4 win over the former World No. 1 on Monday.
Rybakina will hope to continue her momentum when she takes to the court against Golubic on Tuesday.
Golubic, meanwhile, has one title to her name and a career-high ranking of 35 which she achieved last month. She had a 5-6 win-loss record heading into Indian Wells, with her best performance of the year being a quarter-final finish at the Melbourne Summer Set 1.
The 29-year-old has, however, shown excellent fighting spirit in her two matches so far in California, beating both Yulia Putintseva and Jasmine Paolini in three sets.
Golubic will be keen to replicate those efforts against Rybakina as she hunts for her second quarter-final berth of the season.
Elena Rybakina vs Viktorija Golubic head-to-head
Rybakina leads the head-to-head against Golubic 1-0. She edged the Swiss 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in their only encounter so far at Nanchang in 2019.
Elena Rybakina vs Viktorija Golubic prediction
Elena Rybakina's game is based on a potent serve and powerful, flat groundstrokes. If she manages to find her booming serve and keep her unforced errors in check, she could be dangerous, as was the case against Azarenka.
The Kazakh powered five aces past the two-time Grand Slam champion, winning 87% of the points behind the first delivery. She was also successful in saving the only break point she faced.
With Rybakina serving this well, she stands a good chance of making it through to the last eight in the desert for the first time. However, Golubic's variety could pose some problems for the Kazakh.
Golubic has a pretty versatile single-handed backhand with which she can produce superb slices and deft dropshots. She will look to use her backhand smartly to disrupt the powerful Kazakh's rhythm and draw errors off her racquet.
Ultimately, though, Rybakina is likely to overpower the Swiss and advance to the last right.
Prediction: Rybakina to win in three sets.
