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Match Details
Fixture: (2) Aryna Sabalenka vs Marta Kostyuk
Tournament: French Open 2023
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €49,600,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, NBC Sports, Peacock TV | Canada - TSN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Ten
Aryna Sabalenka vs Marta Kostyuk preview
Reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka will face off against Marta Kostyuk in the first round of the 2023 French Open.
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Sabalenka began her preparation for the claycourt Major at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. She defeated Barbora Krejcikova, Paula Badosa and Anastasia Potapova to reach the final for the third straight year. Up against defending champion Iga Swiatek, the Belarusian succumbed to her in straight sets.
Sabalenka then reached her second final of the clay swing at the Madrid Open. Once again she took on Swiatek for the title and this time she emerged victorious following a three-set battle. It marked her second title in the Spanish capital and her third of the season.
The high of winning a title didn't last for too long as Sabalenka was ousted by Sofia Kenin in the second round of the Italian Open. It was the first time she lost prior to the quarterfinals of a tournament this year.
Kostyuk lost her opener at the Madrid Open in singles, but made it all the way to the semifinals in doubles. She scored a straight-sets win over Claire Liu to begin her Italian Open campaign, but was knocked out by Badosa in the next round.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Marta Kostyuk head-to-head
Sabalenka leads Kostyuk 1-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships in straight sets.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Marta Kostyuk odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Marta Kostyuk prediction
Sabalenka mounted a rather successful campaign on clay this year, barring her misstep at the Italian Open. The early loss remains an exception rather than the norm for her this season. Kostyuk's recent results, on the other hand, have been quite underwhelming.
When it comes to the French Open, Kostyuk has gone further than Sabalenka. The former made it to the fourth round in 2021, but failed to get past the opening hurdle on other occasions. The Belarusian's best showing has been making it to the third round for the last three years.
Sabalenka's newfound self-belief has helped her a lot, so has gettting her serving yips under control. While she does have the occasional off day, it hasn't proved to be her downfall so far. Meanwhile, Kostyuk's serve has cost her a few matches. She currently leads the women's tour with regards to the number of double faults hit this year.
Kostyuk is yet to win a match against a top 10 player, losing all 13 of her matches against them. Sabalenka has been in fine form this year and given how she has played so far, she'll be expected to come through this clash unscathed.
Pick: Aryna Sabalenka to win in straight sets.
