'%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: (3) Elena Rybakina vs (WC) Katie Boulter
Date: July 8, 2023
Tournament: Wimbledon 2023
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
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
Elena Rybakina vs Katie Boulter preview
Defending champion Elena Rybakina will square off against home favorite Katie Boulter in the third round of the 2023 Wimbledon on Saturday.
Rybakina commenced her title defense with a three-set win over Shelby Rogers. She was up against Alize Cornet in the second round. The Kazakh dominated the first set as she broke her opponent's serve twice to clinch the opener.
Cornet was the only player to have break point chances in the second set, but wasted all six of them. It proved to be quite costly as Rybakina went on to claim the ensuing tie-break to win the match 6-2, 7-6 (2).
Boutler ousted Daria Saville to reach the second round, where she took on Viktorya Tomova. The Brit was off to a fast start as she dished out a bagel to her opponent to grab the first set.
Tomova put up a fight as she captured the second set to level the proceedings. An early break of serve put Boulter in the driver's seat in the third set. She held on to the lead to win the match 6-0, 3-6, 6-3.
Elena Rybakina vs Katie Boulter head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Elena Rybakina vs Katie Boulter odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Elena Rybakina vs Katie Boulter prediction
After a good start, Rybakina was tested by Cornet, but managed to come out on top. The Kazakh lost just two points on serve in the first set, but her serve lost some of its sting in the second. Nevertheless, she managed to get the job done.
Boulter endured an up and down match against Tomova, but persevered to reach the third round here for the second year in a row. The Brit won 45% of points on return in the previous round. If she manages to up those numbers against Rybakina, she could make it a competitive encounter.
The Kazakh's powerfully hit flat groundstrokes are tough to handle on grass. Boulter will need to be mindful of not getting overpowered by her opponent. The defending champion looks to be in good form at the moment and even if the Brit rises to the occasion, Rybakina should be able to subdue her to advance further.
Pick: Elena Rybakina to win in straight sets.
