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Match details
Fixture: (4) Elena Rybakina vs Jasmine Paolini
Date: April 19, 2024
Tournament: Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
Round: Quarterfinal
Venue: Porsche Arena, Stuttgart, Germany
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Clay (indoor)
Prize Money: $922,573
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports
Elena Rybakina vs Jasmine Paolini preview
World No. 4 Elena Rybakina faces off against Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix on Friday.
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Rybakina received a bye into the second round, where she was up against Veronika Kudermetova. The pair traded service breaks early on in the first set but remained unshakeable on serve for the remainder of the set.
The outcome of the opening set was decided in a tie-break, where Rybakina pipped her opponent to gain the edge. Kudermetova stormed back in style to level the match, taking the second set for the loss of just one game.
The third set had a fair bit of back-and-forth. Kudermetova broke at the start of the set after which Rybakina went on a four-game run to lead 4-1. The latter's advantage was negated by her opponent who leveled the scores.
Kudermetova served to stay in the match at 5-4 but buckled under the pressure. Rybakina broke her serve one last time to wrap up a 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-4 victory.
Paolini, meanwhile, cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 win over Sara Errani to sail into the second round, where World No. 9 Ons Jabeur awaited her. The Italian was off to a fast start, as she raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set.
Jabeur turned things around rather quickly to get back on serve. The two pushed the set into a tie-break, where Paolini saved a couple of set points before she claimed the set for herself.
Paolini snagged an early break in the second set to lead 2-1 but Jabeur struck back to remain right on her tail. The Italian secured another break of serve in the ninth game to go 5-4 up. She saved a couple of break points and served out a 7-6 (8), 6-4 win.
Elena Rybakina vs Jasmine Paolini head-to-head
The two have split their previous couple of meetings to tie the head-to-head at 1-1. Paolini won their most recent encounter at the 2023 Cincinnati Open after Rybakina retired in the second set.
Elena Rybakina vs Jasmine Paolini odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Elena Rybakina vs Jasmine Paolini prediction
Rybakina and Paolini's rivalry has been quite peculiar. Out of their three prior matches, the two have played until the end just once.
Rybakina won their very first match en route winning last year's Italian Open. She won the first set of their next encounter in Cincinnati but retired due to an injury in the second set.
The two were scheduled to contest the quarterfinals of this year's Dubai Tennis Championships as well. However, Rybakina gave a walkover to Paolini, which doesn't count as a win for the latter.
Rybakina's booming serve and hard-hitting groundstrokes have given Paolini enough trouble in the past. The latter has played some great tennis this year, but the Kazakh appears to be healthy enough to score another win over the Italian.
Pick: Elena Rybakina to win in three sets
