Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina have been tremendous this year, and we shall see them in action against each other at the 2023 China Open in Beijing.
Sabalenka and Rybakina played one of the Grand Slam finals this year, and while the latter won the opening set, the former got the trophy in the end. It was a really interesting match between two pure hitters who have very similar skill sets.
They both have a powerful serve, though Rybakina seems a bit more stable there. Sabalenka seems like the more powerful hitter and better mover, which gave her the upper hand in the matchup. Both have been spectacular so far this week, though Rybakina flirted with a loss against Andreeva.
Head-to-head:
As mentioned above, Sabalenka does have a favourable matchup with Rybakina. Only slightly, but it was enough to dominate the H2H so far. The Belarusian leads 4-1 even though Rybakina won the most recent matchup in Indian Wells.
It will be rather interesting because while the matchup favours Sabalenka, Rybakina won't be without a chance here. She'll need a few things to go her way, but we've seen her do it before. It's not impossible to see it again.
Prediction:
Even though I could see a way for Sabalenka to win this match comfortably, I do think we'll see a close one. Ryybakina hasn't looked spectacular this week and was on the brink of losing against Andreeva but pulled out the win.
Sabalenka looked far more stable, and I think that will ultimately power her to a win, but the win condition for both is how they play from the baseline. Who has a better day hitting the ball will ultimately win the match, and that's more 50-50. I still favour Sabalenka.
Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets.
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