Strasbourg 2020: Aryna Sabalenka vs Katerina Siniakova preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: Aryna Sabalenka vs Katerina Siniakova

Date: 24 September 2020

Tournament: Internationaux de Strasbourg 2020

Round: Quarterfinals

Venue: Strasbourg, France

Category: WTA International

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: €225,500

Match timing: Not before 4:30 pm CEST, 8:00 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel

Aryna Sabalenka vs Katerina Siniakova preview

Aryna Sabalenka, the fourth seed at Strasbourg, has had quite a solid start to the tournament. She beat Ellen Perez 6-4, 6-3 in the opening round, claiming just her second win on clay this year.

The Belarusian did have a bit of a scare against Anna Blinkova in the Round of 16, conceding the first set after just seven games, but she made a remarkable comeback to win 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Sabalenka, who won the Qatar Open in February, will be keen to win her second title of the year at Strasbourg this week.

The @WTA_Strasbourg quarterfinalists:🇱🇻 Ostapenko vs Hibino 🇯🇵🇨🇳 Zhang vs Rybakina 🇰🇿 🇨🇭 Teichmann vs Svitolina 🇺🇦🇨🇿 Siniakova vs Sabalenka 🇧🇾

— wta (@WTA) September 23, 2020

Katerina Siniakova, on the other hand, is a surprise quarterfinalist at the tournament this year. She produced an excellent performance against No. 7 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the Round of 16, clinching a clinical 6-2, 6-4 victory.

Siniakova had lost her first set of the contest against Bernarda Pera in the opening round, but then made a solid comeback to win 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-1.

A consistent doubles player, Siniakova made it to the quarterfinals at the Italian Open with partner Veronika Kudermetova last week. She has won one singles title on clay in her career so far, at the Swedish Open in 2017.

Aryna Sabalenka vs Katerina Siniakova head-to-head

Aryna Sabalenka and Katerina Siniakova have not faced off on tour so far. This will be their first meeting against each other, with the H2H currently tied at 0-0.

Aryna Sabalenka vs Katerina Siniakova prediction

Can Katerina Siniakova stage another upset at Strasbourg this week?

Aryna Sabalenka's aggressive mindset and power-packed groundstrokes are her biggest strengths. She can dictate rallies from the back of the court with ease, and is also aided by a fairly consistent and accurate serve.

The Belarusian prefers to play on grass and hardcourt, but has had a fair bit of success on clay too. She had made it to the final of the the Lugano Ladies Open, an International-level claycourt event, back in 2018.

Even though she struggled in her last match, Sabalenka is still expected to have the edge against Siniakova. While the Czech has impressed with her court coverage and consistency in the tournament so far, she might find it a bit difficult to counter Sabalenka's considerably superior firepower off the ground.

Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets.