Elena Rybakina
Kazakhstani No. 1 Elena Rybakina locks horns with Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open on Wednesday.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion came into the Australian Open with a 1-2 win-loss record in the year so far. Last year at the Australian Open, her campaign ended on an unfortunate note when she was forced to retire during the second set in her second-round match owing to injury.
Rybakina managed to maintain her record of not losing a first-round match at the Australian Open as she defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto 7-5, 6-3 in a match that lasted 1 hour and 23 minutes. The Italian youngster came into the match with the confidence of having finished runner-up at the Hobart International last week. However, the 22nd seed, Rybakina, managed to thwart the efforts of Cocciaretto and eventually won the match convincingly barring a few nervy moments in the first set.
The 22-year-old came into the Australian Open after failing to make it to the main draw at the Hobart International. After defeating Julia Grabher in the first qualifying encounter, Juvan lost to Tereza Martincova in the second.
Last year at the Australian Open, Juvan crashed out in the first round following a loss to Maryna Zanevska. This time, she got off to a decent start as she went past Selena Janicijevic in the first round in straight sets 7-5, 6-1. Juvan had a win percentage of 76 on the first serve and converted 5 out of the 8 break points.
Elena Rybakina and Kaja Juvan will be facing each other for the first time. Therefore, the head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0.
Prediction: Elena Rybakina to win in straight sets.
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