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Match Details
Fixture: (4) Elena Rybakina vs (Q) Sara Bejlek
Date: April 29, 2024
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open
Round: Fourth Round (Round of 16)
Venue: La Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €7,877,020
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Elena Rybakina vs Sara Bejlek preview
World No. 4 Elena Rybakina will take on qualifier Sara Bejlek in the fourth round of the 2024 Madrid Open on Monday.
Rybakina defeated Lucia Bronzetti 6-4, 6-3 to reach the third round, where she was up against Mayar Sherif. The latter had reached the quarterfinals at the venue last year.
Rybakina dominated the first set as she bagged it for the loss of just one game. Sherif played slightly better in the second set but the Kazakh was simply unplayable at times. An early break in the set eventually resulted in a 6-1, 6-4 win for her.
Bejlek came through the qualifying round and then scored wins over Anna Blinkova and Anna Kalinskaya to reach the third round. She took on Ashlyn Krueger for a spot in the fourth round.
Bejlek navigated through some troubled waters at the start of the first set as the teen fended off three break points. It was smooth sailing for her after that as a lone break of serve in her favor helped her clinch the set.
The second set was a walk in the park for Bejlek. She conceded just one game in it to register a 6-3, 6-1 victory and notch up the best result of her young career so far.
Elena Rybakina vs Sara Bejlek head-to-head
This will be the first career meeting between the two, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Elena Rybakina vs Sara Bejlek odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Elena Rybakina vs Sara Bejlek prediction
Rybakina extended her unbeaten run to six matches after her win over Sherif. She's also undefeated on clay since her third-round exit at last year's Madrid Open.
Since that loss, Rybakina won the Italian Open and reached the third round of the French Open but withdrew prior to the match, which doesn't count as a loss. She won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart to begin this year's clay swing. Her overall winning streak on the surface currently stands at 14 matches.
Bejlek played her best match of the week to reach this stage. She was pushed to three sets in the first round but has only improved since then. She dropped just five games in the second round and four games in the previous round against Krueger.
Bejlek has an impressive future ahead of her but at the moment she's not at that level to defeat an in-form Rybakina. The latter has established herself as the player to beat this year along with Iga Swiatek. The Kazakh should safely make it through this round given her red-hot form.
Pick: Elena Rybakina to win in straight sets.
