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Match Details
Fixture: (3) Elena Rybakina vs Karolina Pliskova
Date: February 9, 2023
Tournament: Abu Dhabi Open 2023
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre, Abu Dhabi
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $780,637
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Elena Rybakina vs Karolina Pliskova preview
Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina will square off against former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova in the second round of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Open on Thursday.
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Rybakina kicked off the new season by competing in a couple of tournaments in Adelaide. In the first event, she fought past Danielle Collins in three sets but lost to Marta Kostyuk in the second round. The following week, the Kazakh suffered a straight-sets loss to Petra Kvitova in the first round.
While her preparations leading up to the Australian Open were less than ideal, Rybakina quickly found her footing in Melbourne. She got better and better as the tournament progressed and reached her second Major final. She defeated players like Jelena Ostapenko, Iga Swiatek and Victoria Azarenka en route to the title round.
Rybakina was up against Aryna Sabalenka in the final. She claimed the opening set, but lost the match in three sets.
Now, as the third seed in Abu Dhabi, the Kazakh has received a first-round bye.
Pliskova, meanwhile, was initially slated to play against Garbine Muguruza in the first round here. However, the Spaniard withdrew due to personal reasons and was replaced by lucky loser Ysaline Bonaventure.
Pliskova was dominant in the opening set and managed to clinch it by dishing out a breadstick. The second set was slightly more competitive, but the Czech was never in trouble. She wrapped up the proceedings in just 48 minutes to win 6-1, 6-3.
Elena Rybakina vs Karolina Pliskova head-to-head
Rybakina leads Pliskova 2-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2022 Guadalajara Open in straight sets.
Elena Rybakina vs Karolina Pliskova odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Elena Rybakina vs Karolina Pliskova prediction
Pliskova didn't miss a beat during her first-round clash against Bonaventure. She didn't face a single break point during the match either. Her serve worked wonderfully and helped her dictate the rallies from the get-go.
Pliskova was quite effective from the back of the court as well, as she maintained the upper hand in baseline exchanges. She will need to play at the same level if she wants to get the better of the 2023 Australian Open runner-up for the first time.
While Pliskova is a pretty decent server herself, Rybakina does an even better job with her serve. The Kazakh also has the ability to outhit the former World No. 1 with her groundstrokes and is a slightly better mover around the court to boot.
This will be Rybakina's first match in a while, so it could take her some time to get going. But if she's able to overcome a slow start, she's likely to hand Pliskova yet another defeat.
Pick: Elena Rybakina to win in three sets.
