A semi-final match at the Australian Open between Elena Rybakina and Victoria Azarenka. The match will start on January 26 at 08:30.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction #1 – Handicap (-2.5) for Rybakina – 1.69.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction #2 – Total Games Under 23 – 1.63.
Rybakina defeated Azarenka (6-3, 6-4) on the hard court in Indian Wells last season. In Melbourne, Elena has clearly reached the peak of her form, acting very reliably on her serve, going through a difficult tournament net, and knocking out the world #1. Victoria, of course, also impresses with her results, but she does not have a stable serve. Perhaps, it is this component, in our opinion, that will be decisive today.
In only one of the five matches played in Melbourne did Rybakina play three sets. In their only head-to-head encounter, the opponents played only 19 games. We’re counting on the prediction that there won’t be a prolonged match today.
Rybakina reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam tournament for the second time. Last year, she became the Wimbledon champion.
At the current tournament, Elena has given up only one set so far. In the third round, she needed an extra set against Danielle Collins (6-2, 5-7, 6-2).
Rybakina’s main achievement is the victory over Iga Swiatek in the fourth round (6-4, 6-4).
In the quarterfinals, she easily defeated Jelena Ostapenko (6-2, 6-4).
In this match Rybakina, as usual, worked well on her serve and at the same time was able to take four games on reception.
Elena Rybakina has notched up seven wins in her last ten meetings against higher-ranked opponents.
Azarenka, meanwhile, reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open for the third time in her career and the first time since 2013. On two previous occasions, she took the title in Melbourne.
On Tuesday, Victoria defeated Jessica Pegula (6-4, 6-1) with surprising ease. Jessica proved unprepared for such a game, primarily psychologically.
The Belarusian continually forced her opponent to make mistakes on her serve, thanks to which she converted five break points.
In the fourth round, Azarenka earned a strong win over Zhu Lin (4-6, 6-1, 6-4) and before that, she managed to defeat Sofia Kenin (6-4, 7-6), Nadia Podorosca (6-1, 6-0) and Madison Keys (1-6, 6-2, 6-1).
In three of Victoria’s last five hard-court matches, more than 20 games have been played.
Type of Court – Hard
Speed of Court – 7/10
Elena Rybakina’s Rating – 25
Elena Rybakina Wins/Losses in 2023 – 6/2
Victoria Azarenka’s Rating – 24
Victoria Azarenka Wins/Losses in 2023 – 7/2
Rybakina leads with a score of 1-0 in the head-to-head encounters. The only time they met was at the Indian Wells Masters in 2022. In that match, Rybakina defeated Azarenka (6-3, 6-4) in two sets.
The match will be played in Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
We recommend checking out the odds for the 2023 Australian Open: Elena Rybakina vs Victoria Azarenka at 1xBet and VBET.