'%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: (2) Aryna Sabalenka vs (21) Ekaterina Alexandrova
Date: July 10, 2023
Tournament: Wimbledon 2023
Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)
Venue: London, United Kingdom
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Grass
Prize money: £44,700,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | Canada - TSN & RDS | UK - BBC & Eurosport | India - Star Sports
Aryna Sabalenka vs Ekaterina Alexandrova preview
World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka will take on Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships on Monday.
Sabalenka defeated Panna Udvardy and Varvara Gracheva to reach the third round, where she faced Anna Blinkova. The Belarusian was off to a fast start, winning the first three games of the opening set.
Blinkova nabbed the next two, but the momentum swung back in Sabalenka's favor once again as she claimed the next three games to grab the set. The Belarusian went down a break to trail 2-1 in the second set, but swept the next four games to lead 5-2 and soon won the match 6-2, 6-3.
Alexandrova, meanwhile, ousted Emma Navarro and Madison Brengle to make it to the third round, where she faced Dalma Galfi. The Russian dominated the first set, which she clinched without dropping a single game.
Galfi played slightly better in the second set, but was no match for Alexandrova. The latter snagged the decisive break in the seventh game to go 4-3 up and wrapped up the proceedings soon after that to win 6-0, 6-4. She has now reached the fourth round of a Major for the first time in her career.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Ekaterina Alexandrova head-to-head
Alexandrova leads Sabalenka 3-2 in the head-to-head. The former won their previous encounter at the 2022 Libema Open in straight sets.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Ekaterina Alexandrova odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Ekaterina Alexandrova prediction
Despite winning in straight sets against Blinkova, Sabalenka was far from convincing. Her serving woes returned to haunt her as she coughed up eight double faults and struggled on her second serve.
Alexandrova, on the other hand, put up a commanding performance against Galfi in the previous round. She didn't face a single break point, won 80% of her first-serve points and struck 20 winners compared to 15 unforced errors.
Alexandrova leads their rivalry and their previous encounter was on grass as well, which she won. Having won 10 matches on the surface this year, she could give Sabalenka a tough fight. However, the Russian's nerves often get the better of her and with a quarterfinal spot on the line, she could crumble under pressure.
Both strike the ball quite well from the baseline and possess a good serve, when it's all clicking for them. If Sabalenka displays the form that won her the Australian Open earlier this year, she should be able to win. Otherwise, a capable grasscourt player like Alexandrova won't have any trouble knocking her out.
Pick: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets.
