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Match Details
Fixture: (3) Elena Rybakina vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Date: February 16, 2024
Tournament: Qatar TotalEnergies Open 2024
Round: Semifinal
Venue: Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Doha
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $3,211,715
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Elena Rybakina vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova preview
2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina will lock horns with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the semifinals of the 2024 Qatar Open on Friday.
Rybakina secured wins over Zhu Lin and 16th seed Emma Navarro to reach the third round, where former US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez awaited her. The Kazakh initially struggled to get going in the first set as she went down a double break to trail 4-1.
However, Rybakina turned the match on its head after that. She swept the next five games in a row to claim the first set. She dictated the terms in the second set and didn't let Fernandez back into the match. From 2-2 onwards, the Kazakh bagged four straight games for a 6-4, 6-2 win.
Pavlyuchenkova, meanwhile, eliminated 11th seed Daria Kasatkina in the first round, after which a mid-match retirement from Marta Kostyuk put her into the third round. The Russian then defeated sixth seed Marketa Vondrousova 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the last eight, where she faced Danielle Collins.
Pavlyuchenkova dealt the first blow in the opening set to go up a break. She even served for the set at 5-2 but Collins prevented her from doing so successfully. The latter went on a three-game run to make it 5-5. The Russian halted her momentum after that as she secured the next two games to take the set.
Pavlyuchenkova went down a break to start the second set as she fell behind 2-0. She not only managed to get back on serve but also broke Collins' serve in the 10th game of the set to notch up a 7-5, 6-3 win.
Elena Rybakina vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova head-to-head
Pavlyuchenkova leads Rybakina 1-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2021 French Open in three sets.
Elena Rybakina vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Elena Rybakina vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova prediction
Rybakina overcame a sluggish start to subdue a surging Fernandez in the quarterfinals. The Kazakh was spraying errors all over the place in the first few games. However, once she cut down on her mistakes, the tide shifted in her favor.
Rybakina started to hit more and more in the center of the court, which didn't allow Fernandez to add any angles to her shots. The Kazakh's serve also improved as the match went on.
As for Pavlyuchenkova, she has now made the semifinals of a WTA 1000 event for the first time since the 2021 Madrid Open. But the in-form Rybakina, who's now on a seven-match winning streak, could prove to be a tough nut to crack for her.
Despite some stellar shotmaking, Pavlyuchenkova's serve and court coverage let her down from time to time these days. Unless she beefs up those deficiencies, it's tough to see her getting the better of Rybakina.
Pick: Elena Rybakina to win in straight sets.
