Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina will play Caroline Wozniacki in the third round of the competition.
The Kazakhstani player triumphed at Wimbledon once, which proves that she can be good on the grass courts. Her serve and her game are perfectly suited for such a surface, even though her opponent knows exactly how to counter that.
Wozniacki remembers well the battles she had with Serena Williams, so nothing Rybakina does will surprise her. She's shown a decent level in Bad Homburg recently, which makes this a very interesting matchup.
Rybakina has looked crushing so far at SW19, but the Dane is a very tricky player to play, given all of her experience as a former World No. 1 on the WTA Tour.
The two have never played against each other because the Kazakhstani's rise coincided with Wozniacki's departure from the sport. There aren't many players like Wozniacki, so it should be very interesting for Rybakina.
She's good enough to, of course, win the match, but she'll need to be very consistent with her hitting. Wozniacki will give her a tough time in rallies, and if the Kazakhstani player doesn't hit on a high level, she will be in trouble.
Something similar happened to her against Jasmine Paolini in Paris recently, and she lost in that match. The same thing can happen against Wozniacki if she's not careful. One thing to note is that the Danish player might have some physical issues that must be monitored.
| Elena Rybakina | Caroline Wozniacki | |
| 0 | H2H | 0 |
| 4 | Rank | 91 |
| 25 | Age | 33 |
| 37-7 | 2024 W/L | 11-9 |
| 326-139 | Career W/L | 650-276 |
Overall, it's a matchup that should favor Rybakina if she turns up her best level. Still, Wozniacki is too smart of a player to just lose in two sets, and this match might prove to be a real challenge for both.
Prediction: Elena Rybakina to win in three sets.