Aryna Sabalenka
2nd seed Aryna Sabalenka begins her Indian Wells campaign against Russian veteran Evgeniya Rodina in the round of 64 on Friday.
It has been a spectacular season for Sabalenka thus far. She has managed to win 13 matches this season while having lost just one and that was in last month’s Dubai Tennis Championships against eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova.
Sabalenka has already captured two titles this season. She won her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, defeating Elena Rybakina in the final. Prior to the Australian Open, Sabalenka bagged the Adelaide International 1 title with a win against Linda Noskova in the final. So far in 2023, Sabalenka has lost just 4 sets in the 14 matches she has played. Last year, she had a forgettable Indian Wells campaign as she suffered a shocking loss against Jasmine Paolini in the round of 64. Sabalenka is one of the strong favorites to win the title this season.
To say that Rodina will have her task cut out against an in-form Sabalenka will be a huge understatement. Rodina played in the Australian Open but she couldn’t get past the first round, losing to Katie Volynets.
In the round of 128 in Indian Wells, Rodina picked up a morale-boosting win against Alize Cornet in straight sets 6-2, 7-5. Cornet didn’t help herself as she committed 9 double faults. Rodina, on the other hand, converted 4 out of 6 break points in the match. In the second set, Cornet came back from 2-4 down to lead 5-4. However, Rodina showed great persistence to emerge victorious.
Sabalenka has a 2-0 lead in the head-to-head scoreline against Rodina. The Belarusian star defeated Rodina in the 2017 Tashkent Open in straight sets 6-2, 6-2.
Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka to win in straight sets.
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