'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Match details
Fixture: (12) Simona Halep vs (19) Elena Rybakina
Date: 3 September 2021
Tournament: US Open 2021
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
Venue: New York, United States
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $40,560,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Simona Halep vs Elena Rybakina preview
12th seed Simona Halep will face 19th seed Elena Rybakina in the third round of the 2021 US Open on Friday. While Halep eased past lucky loser Kristina Kucova 6-3, 6-1 in the second round, Rybakina outlasted Caroline Garcia 6-1, 6-4.
Simona Halep's 2021 season has been marred by a string of injuries. After a quarter-final finish at the Australian Open, Halep was forced to withdraw from the Miami Open due to a shoulder injury. She then resumed playing during the clay-court season, but a sudden injury to her calf muscle in Rome sidelined her from the sport for the next three months.
After missing Roland Garros and a chance at the title defense at Wimbledon, the 29-year-old faced early exits in Montreal and Cincinnati. But while Halep came into Flushing Meadows with very few matches under her belt, she can draw confidence from her first two victories this week.
Her opponent for Friday, Elena Rybakina, had a fairly slow start to the year. After reaching the last eight in Abu Dhabi, the Kazakh didn't make another quarterfinal until Roland Garros. Rybakina then advanced to the semifinals in Eastbourne, where she lost to eventual champion Jelena Ostapenko.
On her Olympic debut, the 22-year-old fought her way to the bronze-medal match in Tokyo. She was, however, eventually handed an excruciating three-set loss by Elina Svitolina.
Rybakina had never previously made it past the second round at the US Open, so this is a career-best result for her already. She is yet to drop a set this week and will hope to keep her momentum going in her third-round match against Halep.
Simona Halep vs Elena Rybakina head-to-head
Simona Halep and Elena Rybakina have met twice before, and their head-to-head currently stands at 1-1. Halep won their most recent encounter in three sets, which took place in the final of Dubai 2020.
Simona Halep vs Elena Rybakina prediction
Simona Halep and Elena Rybakina are both strong baseliners, and we can expect some elongated rallies in this match. But Halep can use her quick footwork to move Rybakina around and prevent her from unloading on her groundstrokes.
Halep can be a competent server on her day, but lacks the ability to hit aces at will. In contrast, the Kazakh's six-feet stature allows her to constantly earn quick points on serve. In her previous match against Caroline Garcia, Rybakina struck 11 aces and won about 85% of points on the first serve.
But if Halep can stay consistent on her serve and draw errors off Rybakina's racket, she should be able to eke out a victory.
Prediction: Simona Halep to win in two tight sets.
