Aryna Sabalenka (Image Credit: Tennis Channel - Twitter)
2nd seed Aryna Sabalenka faces 16th seed Barbora Krejcikova in the round of 16 of the 2023 Indian Wells on Tuesday.
The Belarusian player has won 14 matches this season and lost only once. That loss came against Barbora Krejcikova in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships last month.
Sabalenka began her campaign in Indian Wells with a comprehensive win against Evgeniya Rodina in the round of 64. The match ended 6-2, 6-0 in favor of the world No. 2. Rodina couldn’t break Sabalenka’s serve throughout the match. The 2023 Australian Open champion converted 5 out of 12 break points and had a win percentage of 78 on the first serve. In the round of 32, Sabalenka was set to face Lesia Tsurenko. However, the Ukrainian veteran pulled out of the tournament prior to the match.
After winning her first WTA 1000 title at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Krejcikova started with a thumping win against Dayana Yastremska in the round of 64 in Indian Wells. The one-sided encounter ended 6-1, 6-2 in favor of the Czech star.
In the round of 32, Krejcikova faced Xinyu Wang. The former dominated sets one and three to win the match 6-2, 6-7 (1-7), 6-2. Krejcikova committed 10 double faults in the match but other than that she was exceptional. On the first serve, she had a win percentage of 86.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 2-1 in favor of the Belarusian star. Krejcikova won their most recent encounter in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships last month in three sets 0-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-1.
Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets.
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