Miami Open 2022: Elena Rybakina vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse preview, head-to-head and prediction

Match Details

Fixture: (17) Elena Rybakina vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse

Tournament: Miami Open presented by Itau.

Round: Second Round (Round of 64).

Venue: Miami, Florida, USA.

Category: WTA 1000.

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.

Prize money: $8,584,055.

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video.

Elena Rybakina vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse preview

Elena Rybakina will take on Romania's Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the second round of the 2022 Miami Open.

Rybakina has made a solid start to the season. The Kazakh reached the final in her first tournament of the year in Sydney. She has also defeated the likes of Victoria Azarenka, Emma Raducanu, and Shelby Rogers so far this year. With steady results, Rybakina reached a career-high ranking of World No. 12.

Rybakina has a good bit of momentum coming into Miami as she looks to back up a quarter-final finish at Indian Wells last week.

Elena-Gabriela Ruse at the 2022 Dubai Open

Ruse has also been in excellent form this year. The Romanian reached a career-high ranking of World No. 51 and has produced a couple of impressive performances.

The 24-year-old recently picked up wins over Ajla Tomljanovic and World No. 5 Paula Badosa in Dubai. She set up the encounter against Rybakina in the second round of the Miami Open with a straight-sets win over Ana Konjuh.

Elena Rybakina vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse head-to-head

The second-round encounter in Miami will be the first match between Rybakina and Ruse, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

Elena Rybakina vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse prediction

Rybakina at the 2022 BNP Paribas Open

Rybakina comes into the match in good form and being the significantly higher-ranked player makes her the heavy favorite.

The 22-year-old's all-out-attacking tennis and powerful serve has been very effective against many players on tour this year. Her style of play does have a few drawbacks, given how many errors she can leak.

Ruse has also made significant improvements in recent months. She's now sporting a more aggressive baseline game with fewer unforced errors. She even got her first top-10 win in Dubai.

However, if Rybakina is tuned in and limits her unforced error count, it'll be difficult for Ruse to pose much of a threat to the Kazakh.

Prediction: Rybakina to win in straight sets.