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Match details
Fixture: (2) Paula Badosa vs Elena Rybakina
Date: 21 April 2022
Tournament: Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2022
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Stuttgart, Germany
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Clay
Prize money: $757,900
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Paula Badosa vs Elena Rybakina preview
Second seed Paula Badosa will take on World No. 19 Elena Rybakina in the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix on Thursday.
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Badosa commenced her clay season at the Charleston Open. After an opening-round bye, she defeated Anna Bondar in straight sets. The Spaniard was put to the test in the next round by Claire Liu but won in three sets.
Badosa won the first set of her quarter-final clash with Belinda Bencic, but fell in three sets to the eventual champion.
The Spaniard then traveled to Stuttgart, where she teamed up with Aryna Sabalenka to defeat Ons Jabeur and Ellen Perez in their first-round doubles match. She will now shift her focus to the singles event.
Badosa had an excellent clay season last year, reaching the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, semifinals at the Madrid Open and winning her maiden career title at the Serbia Open. She'll be looking to replicate that success this year.
Elena Rybakina also started her clay season at the Charleston Open, going down in three sets against Anhelina Kalinina in the second round. At the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, the Kazakh took on qualifier Nastasja Schunk in the first round.
Rybakina went down an early break in the opening set, but soon leveled the score. She held a couple of set points at 5-4, but squandered them before winning the ensuing tie-break. She then went up an early break in the second set and served for the match at 5-4.
However, Schunk broke back to level the score at 5-5. Rybakina didn't lose her composure despite the setback and won the next two games to seal the match 7-6(3), 7-5.
Paula Badosa vs Elena Rybakina head-to-head
Badosa leads Rybakina 2-1 in the head-to-head. She won their most recent encounter in straight sets at the 2021 Cincinnati Open.
Paula Badosa vs Elena Rybakina odds
Badosa's better ranking and overall track record this year make her the favorite to win the match.
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Paula Badosa vs Elena Rybakina prediction
Badosa is the stronger claycourter amongst the two and will have an edge heading into the contest. Rybakina, however, defeated Serena Williams en route to the Roland Garros quarterfinals last year, so she's certainly no slouch on the surface.
Both players are strong on serve. Badosa and Rybakina are ranked second and third respectively with regards to the number of aces hit this year; Rybakina has hit 106 in 17 matches, while the Spaniard has fired 107 in 25.
An area where Badosa has the clear advantage is court coverage. Her movement on the surface is much better compared to Rybakina's and if she can get the Kazakh moving from side to side and force her to hit on the run, she could draw some errors.
Rybakina undoubtedly possesses more power from the back of the court, but she's also quite inconsistent. On a surface like clay where the ball does not travel quickly, she might find it hard to hit through an opponent as quick as Badosa.
Pick: Paula Badosa to win in straight sets.
