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Fixture: (7) Elena Rybakina vs Marketa Vondrousova.
Date: May 15, 2023.
Tournament: Italian Open 2023.
Round: Fourth Round (Round of 16).
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €3,572,618.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Elena Rybakina vs Marketa Vondrousova preview
Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina will take on World No. 70 Marketa Vondrousova in the fourth round of the 2023 Italian Open on Monday.
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After a first-round bye, Rybakina faced home favorite Jasmine Paolini in the second round here. The opening set was quite competitive, with the Kazakh blowing a good lead before claiming it in the tie-break later on.
The second set was more of a blowout as Rybakina handed Paolini a breadstick to win the match 7-6 (4), 6-1. The 23-year-old was up against Anna Kalinskaya in the third round.
Kalinskaya snagged an early break in the first set to go 3-1 up. Rybakina responded by bagging the next three games to lead 4-3. The Russian was unable to continue after this point and retired due to an injury, sending the Kazakh into the next round.
Vondrousova, meanwhile, scored wins over Kaia Kanepi and Bianca Andreescu to set up a third-round date against World No. 8 Maria Sakkari. The Czech went up an early break in the first set and held on to the lead until it was time to serve for the set.
Vondrousova tried to close out the opener at 5-4, but Sakkari managed to secure a break of serve. The former then claimed the next couple of games to clinch the set. The second set featured no such drama as the Czech broke her opponent's serve twice to win the match 7-5, 6-3.
Elena Rybakina vs Marketa Vondrousova head-to-head
Vondrousova leads Rybakina 1-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2021 Kremlin Cup in straight sets.
Elena Rybakina vs Marketa Vondrousova odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Elena Rybakina vs Marketa Vondrousova prediction
Rybakina got a lucky break due to Kalinskaya's injury as the Russian had just ousted her from the Madrid Open as well. Vondrousova, on the other hand, has made her way through the draw quite nicely. Having defeated Sakkari, Andreescu and Kanepi, the Czech is on a giant-killing spree.
Rybakina's serving stats will need to be at their very best if she wants to make this a close contest. She's not the most natural mover on the red dirt compared to Vondrousova.
The Czech's well timed and disguised drop shots work wonders on clay, so Rybakina will need to be on guard for them. Vondrousova's lefty forehand comes with plenty of topspin on it and is another ace up her sleeve.
Rybakina is a fierce competitor, but her recent results haven't been up to the mark. Based on how the two have played so far, Vondrousova will be favored to come out on top in this encounter.
Pick: Marketa Vondrousova to win in straight sets.
