Montreal 2021: Aryna Sabalenka vs Victoria Azarenka preview, head-to-head & prediction | National Bank Open

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka

Match details

Fixture: (1) Aryna Sabalenka vs (8) Victoria Azarenka

Date: 13 August 2021

Tournament: National Bank Open 2021

Round: Quarterfinal

Venue: IGA Stadium, Montreal, Quebec

Category: WTA 1000

Surface: Outdoor hard

Prize money: $1,835,490

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video

Aryna Sabalenka vs Victoria Azarenka preview

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka will take on eighth seed Victoria Azarenka in an all-Belarusian quarter-final encounter at the National Bank Open on Friday.

Sabalenka is in the form of her life. The Belarusian is placed at a career-high ranking of World No. 3 and has a win-loss record of 35-12 for the year. She won titles in Abu Dhabi and Madrid before reaching the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career at Wimbledon.

The 23-year-old suffered an early exit in Tokyo, but has put that setback behind her with some strong displays in Montreal. She opened her campaign with a nervy three-set victory over Sloane Stephens in the second round, before breezing past local favorite Rebecca Marino 6-1, 6-3 in the third.

Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka

Azarenka has also had a rather successful season. The Belarusian has climbed to No. 15 in the world and has a win-loss record of 15-5 in 2021.

Physical issues have hampered Azarenka's progress this season, but the 32-year-old appears to have found her best form in Montreal.

She dismantled Sorana Cirstea in her opener, before overcoming Maria Sakkari in a hard-fought three-set affair in the third round. The Belarusian found herself down a break in the decider but clawed her way back to seal a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2) win.

Aryna Sabalenka vs Victoria Azarenka head-to-head

The quarter-final encounter in Montreal will be the fourth match between the two players, with Aryna Sabalenka leading the head-to-head 2-1 over Victoria Azarenka.

Sabalenka defeated her compatriot in their first meeting at the 2019 US Open. Azarenka gained revenge the following year with a straight-sets win at Flushing Meadows. Their most recent meeting was in Ostrava in 2020, with Sabalenka winning in straight sets.

Aryna Sabalenka vs Victoria Azarenka prediction

Victoria Azarenka (L) and Aryna Sabalenka
Victoria Azarenka (L) and Aryna Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka are well-versed with each other's games, having faced off on many occasions and also played doubles together.

Sabalenka's ultra-attacking style has yielded positive results for her this year. The World No. 3 has tremendous power and can paint the lines on a regular basis. Her serve has improved by leaps and bounds in recent seasons and is one of her biggest weapons.

However, she tends to go for broke far too often and can leak errors when her timing is off. Azarenka has the kind of game that can hurt Sabalenka. The 32-year-old can hit with a lot of depth and spin, preventing Sabalenka from stepping in and unleashing on her groundstrokes.

This match has all the makings of a blockbuster. While Sabalenka has the edge in terms of raw power, Azarenka has years of experience to call upon. If she can stay in the rallies long enough and frustrate Sabalenka into making errors, she should be able to eke out a win.

Prediction: Victoria Azarenka to win in three sets.