Elena Rybakina has been impressive till now in the Wimbledon 2022 competition. She will have to bring her A-game and then some to topple the two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep in the semi-final.
The 23-year-old has managed to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final. She defeated her first four opponents in straight sets before meeting Ajla Tomljanovic in the quarter-final. The Kazakhstani player lost the first set but showed great resilience to seal a thumping victory 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Rybakina reached the finals of the Adelaide International at the start of the year. She lost to Ashleigh Barty in straight sets. Her performances dipped in the tournaments she played following the Adelaide International. The best campaign for her had been at the Indian Wells Master where she reached the quarter-final before losing to Maria Sakkari. Rybakina will be up against an experienced campaigner who knows the pressure of the business end of a Grand Slam. However, do not expect the youngster to get into a shell and hand over an easy win to Halep.
The 2019 Wimbledon champion has had a smooth campaign till now. Her dominance has been exemplary. She is the only player in the tournament to not drop a single set as yet. She has defeated the likes of Karolina Muchova, Kirsten Flipkens, Magdalena Frech, Paula Badosa, and Amanda Anisimova en route to reaching the semi-final. Now she would be looking forward to reaching her second final at the SW19. Halep’s performances in the previous two Grand Slams this year had been rather disappointing by her standards. She was knocked out of the Australian Open in the fourth round by Alize Cornet. The French Open was a huge debacle as she was ousted in round two. However, champions are known to fight back when they are down and Halep did no different. The Romanian has only two more hurdles to overcome before she could call herself a three-time Grand Slam champion.
Head to Head: 2-1, in favor of Simona Halep.
Prediction: Simona Halep to win in three sets.
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