Elena Rybakina
The World No. 1 in the doubles rankings – Katerina Siniakova locks horns with an in-form Elena Rybakina in the Slovenia Open final.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion has been in scintillating form at the Slovenia Open. She lost the first set of her first-round match against Laura Siegemund but there was no looking back for the 23-year-old from that point onwards. She won the match 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-6 (10-8). In the round of 16, she outplayed Tereza Martincova in straight sets.
Lesia Tsurenko, Rybakina’s opponent in the quarterfinals, pulled out before the match owing to injury. In the semifinals, Rybakina played a near-perfect match to comprehensively get past Ana Bogdan 6-1, 6-1 in quick time.
She has proved her mettle in the doubles circuit time and again. She will be proud of her performance at the singles event in the Slovenia Open. However, she will not go over the moon just yet as the job isn’t over. She is one step away from winning her third WTA Tour title.
The 26-year-old began her campaign with two convincing wins against Martina Trevisan and Jodie Anna Burrage in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, Siniakova defeated the defending champion, Jasmine Paolini, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5). German qualifier Anna-Lena Friedsam, who was playing some fantastic tennis in the tournament failed to get one over a confident Siniakova in the semis. Siniakova won the match 6-1, 7-5 to set up a clash with Rybakina in the final.
Katerina Siniakova has some catching up to do as Elena Rybakina leads the head-to-head 4-2.
Prediction: Elena Rybakina to win in three sets.
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