WTA’s fast-rising star Elena Rybakina will face a familiar opponent in Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round of the Western & Southern Open 2020 on Saturday, August 22. This match is scheduled to begin at 11 am local time (4 pm BST). Get the live streaming options of this Elena Rybakina v Ekaterina Alexandrova match along with its preview, head to head and tips here.
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Elena Rybakina v Ekaterina Alexandrova Head to Head
These two players have met once at tour level, and it was the experienced Alexandrova who triumphed in straight sets in this year’s Shenzhen Open final to claim her maiden WTA title.
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Rybakina Poised to Maintain Her Terrific 2020
It is safe to say Elena Rybakina is no longer the anonymous promising Kazakh. In fact her rise has been so rapid such that her name is now firmly entrenched among the world’s best players.
Rybakina’s 2020 season has simply taken many by surprise as she sits at a career-high ranking of World No.17, built by an incredible run of results during the first quarter of the year which included a title win in Hobart.
The Russian-born Kazakh was virtually unknown to the tennis world a little over two years ago. She was ranked World No.450 as she endeavored to combine the demands of being high school student with forging the beginnings of a full-time tennis career.
To put her 2020 results into perspective, she had reached four finals out of the six tournaments she had played before the tour was temporarily shut down.
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Alexandrova A Threat on Hard Courts
Ekaterina Alexandrova was synonymous for being the WTA tour’s first champion of 2020 when she won her maiden title in Shenzhen.
The hard-hitting Russian, much like her opponent Rybakina, had been among the in-form players on the WTA circuit during the first three months. The aforementioned triumph in China was part of a streak stretching from the back end of last year where she won a WTA 125K in Limoges.
However, her good form is waning. A return to tennis on the clay courts of Palermo and Prague brought early exits. She still remains a dangerous floater on the hard courts where she has scored a handful of big wins in the past. Can she rediscover her early season form during the North American autumn?
Rybakina v Alexandrova Prediction & Tip
We never quite got to read the script when these two players met in the opening week of the season. Back then, no one would have imagined just how big 2020 was going to shape up for both players.
Rybakina has been a breath of fresh air in the world’s top 20, while Alexandrova continues to pummel with her brute power. I expect this to be closer affair compared to their meeting in Shenzhen. If the 21-year-old Rybakina is able to pick her spots, she should avenge that defeat.
Tip: Rybakina to win: 8/11 (bet365)
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