'%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: (1) Aryna Sabalenka vs (Q) Katie Boulter
Date: October 3, 2023
Tournament: China Open 2023
Round: Second round (Round of 32)
Venue: National Tennis Center, Beijing, China
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $8,127,389
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Aryna Sabalenka vs Katie Boulter preview
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will square off against qualifier Katie Boulter in the second round of the 2023 China Open on Tuesday.
Sabalenka was up against the in-form Sofia Kenin in the first round. The latter had reached the final of the San Diego Open and the semifinals of the Guadalajara Open in the last few weeks. She had also sent the Belarusian packing out of the Italian Open earlier this year.
Sabalenka was better prepared for Kenin this time. The former cruised through the first set and claimed it for the loss of just one game. The second set was similarly routine for the top seed as she broke the American's serve twice to win the match 6-1, 6-2.
Boulter scored wins over Zhuoxuan Bai and Kamila Rakhimova to make the main draw, where she faced Magdalena Frech in her opener. The Brit recovered from a 2-0 deficit to go 4-2 up in the first set.
Frech managed to make it 4-4, but Boulter bagged the next couple of games to take the set. The latter went up an early break in the second set but squandered her advantage and lost the set as well.
Boulter raced to a 5-1 lead in no time in the third set. She then got broken while trying to close out the match but broke back in the following game to score a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Katie Boulter head-to-head
Sabalenka leads Boulter 2-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2021 Wimbledon in three sets.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Katie Boulter odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Katie Boulter prediction
Sabalenka made a statement with her win over Kenin, which was also her first as the official No. 1. She didn't face a single break point and won a massive 96% of her first serve points. The Belarusian was focused from the first point and overwhelmed her opponent with her powerful hitting.
Boulter did well to subdue Frech by playing some dogged tennis to get through, but her journey is likely to end here. While she did give Sabalenka a tough fight the last time they played, the Belarusian has transformed into a different player since then.
Sabalenka barely made any errors during the last round, and even when she went off-track, she didn't look frazzled at all. She's playing at the same level and mindset that fetched her the Australian Open title at the start of the season. Given her form, she's likely to make light work of Boulter in the next round.
Pick: Aryna Sabalenka to win in straight sets.
