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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Aryna Sabalenka vs (18) Madison Keys
Date: October 2, 2024
Tournament: China Open 2024
Round: Fourth Round (Round of 16)
Venue: National Tennis Center, Beijing, China
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $8,955,610
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Aryna Sabalenka vs Madison Keys preview
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka will face Madison Keys in the fourth round of the China Open 2024.
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Sabalenka kicked off her campaign in Beijing with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Mananchaya Sawangkaew. She was up against World No. 68 Ashlyn Krueger in the third round. She blitzed to a 4-0 lead in no time, and wrapped up the first set soon after that, though she did have to erase a break point when she served for it.
Sabalenka started the second set with a break of serve but Krueger was quick to recover this time and broke back immediately to stay on level terms. However, the Belarusian was not to be denied and bagged the next four games to go 5-1 up. She then served out the match to score a 6-2, 6-2 victory.
Keys beat Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-2, 6-1 to set up a third-round date with 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia. The American was off to a slow start as she went down a break to trail 2-0. However, she staged a quick turnaround and swept six of the next seven games to take the set.
Keys continued to dictate the play and pushed herself halfway towards the finish line with a 3-0 lead. Haddad Maia woke up from her slumber and went on a three-game run to even the score. The momentum swung in the American's favor again, and she nabbed the next three games for a 6-3, 6-3 win.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Madison Keys head-to-head
Sabalenka leads Keys 3-1 in the head-to-head. The former won their most recent encounter at last year's US Open in three sets.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Madison Keys odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Madison Keys prediction
Sabalenka's win over Krueger extended her unbeaten run to 14 matches. Her winning streak started with her triumph at the Cincinnati Open, and she has been pushed to three sets only once during this period.
Keys wasn't at her best during the North American summer swing but looks in good shape in Beijing. She has dropped nine games across her two matches here, the same as Sabalenka.
Their rivalry leans in Sabalenka's favor, and the latter has won both of their matches on hardcourts. Their recent tussle at last year's US Open was a thriller, and the Belarusian was on the back foot quite often. She trailed by a set and a break and served to stay in the match four times, and eventually prevailed.
Keys can match Sabalenka in terms of power behind her groundstrokes. However, the latter tends to be more precise with her shotmaking. She has hit 800 winners in WTA 1000 tournaments this year, more than any other player.
Sabalenka also loves playing in China, and has a 39-9 record in the country, compared to Keys' 20-15 record. Given her form, the reigning US Open champion has a good shot to prevail in this encounter.
Pick: Aryna Sabalenka to win in straight sets.
