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Match details
Fixture: (12) Simona Halep vs (5) Elina Svitolina
Date: 5 September 2021
Tournament: US Open 2021
Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)
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 Elina Svitolina preview
Simona Halep will face Elina Svitolina for a record 10th time in the fourth round of the 2021 US Open on Sunday. While Halep outlasted Elena Rybakina 7-6(11), 4-6, 6-3 in the third round, Svitolina eased past Daria Kasatkina 6-4, 6-2.
Simona Halep has had a long and unfortunate tryst with injuries this season. After making the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, the Romanian met with a shoulder injury and had to withdraw from the Miami Open.
During the clay-court season, Halep reached the last four in Stuttgart, before a sudden calf muscle tear in Rome sidelined her from the sport for three months.
A former semifinalist (2016) at the US Open, the World No. 13 has been in clinical form this week despite playing just five matches since May. She has never lost to Elina Svitolina at a Grand Slam, and will be looking to maintain that record in the fourth round.
Svitolina, on her part, has had fairly consistent results throughout the year. She reached the last four in Miami and Stuttgart and is currently on an eight-match winning streak, which started last week in Chicago. The Ukrainian lifted her 16th career title in the American city, beating Alize Cornet in the final.
The biggest highlight of Svitolina's season came at the Tokyo Olympics, where she won the bronze medal after defeating Elena Rybakina in the playoff. The World No. 5 reached the last four in New York two years ago, and will be hoping for another deep run this fortnight.
Simona Halep vs Elina Svitolina head-to-head
Simona Halep and Elina Svitolina have met nine times before, and Svitolina currently leads the head-to-head 5-4. She also won their most recent meeting in straight sets, which took place at the 2019 WTA Finals in Shenzhen.
Simona Halep vs Elina Svitolina prediction
This fourth-round encounter could prove to be physically demanding for both players, since they are expected to engage in long rallies and bring a lot of balls back into play. Neither of the women allows too many winners to penetrate their defense, and that is likely to be repeated on Sunday.
Simona Halep and Elina Svitolina are incredibly quick around the court, and so they will have to stay aggressive off both wings to try and shorten the points. The serve isn't the biggest weapon for either woman, but the Ukrainian did impressively in that department against Daria Kasatkina; she struck four aces and won 78% of points on the first serve.
Halep, on her part, will look to consistently get her first serve in and lead the attack on the return of serve. If she stays solid during the rallies and keeps a check on her unforced errors, she should be able to sneak out a tight win given the form she has displayed this week.
Prediction: Simona Halep to win in three sets.
