Elena Rybakina
10th seed Elena Rybakina takes on world No. 76 Karolina Muchova in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Indian Wells on Thursday.
The Kazakhstani star lost a set in February in the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Open when she lost to Beatriz Haddad Maia. Since then, Rybakina hasn’t lost a set. In the round of 64, Rybakina had to dig deep to get past Sofia Kenin, winning in two competitive sets 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5). Rybakina followed it up with a relatively comfortable win against former world No. 2 Paula Badosa. The 23-year-old Rybakina won the match 6-3, 7-5. She smashed 9 aces and was also helped by 7 double faults committed by her opponent.
Rybakina went on to face Russian qualifier Varvara Gracheva in the round of 16. This turned out to be a one-sided affair as Rybakina outplayed Gracheva to win the match 6-3, 6-0. She converted 7 out of 12 break points.
The 26-year-old has managed to reach the quarterfinals of a tournament for the third time in 2023. She began her Indian Wells campaign with a grueling 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win against Yulia Putintseva. Muchova took confidence from this win and defeated 2-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka in the round of 64 in straight sets 7-6 (7-1), 6-3. Muchova converted 5 out of 9 break points in this clash.
In the round of 32, Muchova defeated another seeded player, Martina Trevisan. The match ended 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in favor of the Czech star. She had a win percentage of 73 on the first serve but also committed 7 double faults. In the round of 16, Muchova got the better of Marketa Vondrousova, winning 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 6-4. It has been a memorable debut in Indian Wells so far for Muchova and she will hope to build on her performances so far in the tournament.
Muchova has a 1-0 lead in the head-to-head scoreline against Rybakina. The Czech tennis pro defeated Rybakina 6-4, 6-4 in the 2019 US Open.
Prediction: Elena Rybakina to win in straight sets.
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