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Match Details
Fixture: (3) Aryna Sabalenka vs (WC) Sloane Stephens.
Date: October 13, 2022.
Tournament: San Diego Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Venue: Barnes Tennis Center, San Diego, California, United States.
Category: WTA 500.
Surface: Hardcourt.
Prize money: $757,900.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Sloane Stephens preview
Following a first-round bye, World No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka will lock horns with 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the second round of the 2022 San Diego Open.
Sabalenka has had a lot of ups and downs this season. She started the year with back-to-back opening-round losses, but still managed to get to the fourth round of the Australian Open. Following a quarterfinal at the Qatar Open, her next best result was at the Stuttgart Open, losing to Iga Swiatek in the final.
The Belarusian's title defense at the Madrid Open ended in the first round itself, but she made it to the semifinals of the Italian Open the following week. Her clay swing concluded with a third-round loss at the French Open. She then reached her second final of the season at the Libema Open, where she lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The following week, Sabalenka fell in the first round of the Berlina Open. She was unable to participate in Wimbledon due to a ban on Russian and Belarusian players. In the lead-up to the US Open, a quarterfinal in San Jose and semifinals in Cincinnati were her best results.
The 24-year-old reached the semifinals of the US Open for the second year in a row, but lost to Swiatek in three sets. She's now competing for the first time since that loss.
Stephens was up against Jil Teichmann in the first round. She broke her opponent's serve in the very first game of the match, but Teichmann responded by breaking the American's serve to level the score at 1-1. The 2017 US Open champion then bagged the next five games to capture the opening set.
The second set started with three straight breaks of serve, with the Swiss gaining the upper hand to lead 3-1. Stephens managed to get back on serve but was soon on the backfoot once again as she trailed 5-3. Teichman then served for the set and even held a set point, but the American managed to secure a break of serve to stay in contention.
The set eventually went into a tie-break, with Stephens coming out on top to win the match 6-1, 7-6 (2).
Aryna Sabalenka vs Sloane Stephens head-to-head
Sabalenka leads Stephens 2-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2021 Canadian Open in three sets.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Sloane Stephens odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Sloane Stephens prediction
Stephens looked to be in trouble in the second set but showed great tenacity to win her opener in straight sets. The American's fighting spirit was on full display, something which her next opponent is known for as well. Win or lose, Sabalenka usually leaves her heart out on the court.
Both of their matches so far have gone to three sets. Sabalenka's serve has landed her in trouble and bailed her out of it as well this season. It has been way too inconsistent but has improved recently. Stephens has shown that she's able to handle the Belarusian's powerful groundstrokes, but has fallen just short of winning.
Sabalenka has been the more in-form player all season, but one can never predict when Stephens will put in a great performance. The contest could go either way, but given the Belarusian's results so far, she'll be the favorite to come through this clash.
Pick: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets.
