'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Elena Rybakina vs Anna Blinkova
Date: January 18, 2024
Tournament: Australian Open 2024
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard (Outdoor)
Prize Money: A$86,500,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN & Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Sports & Sony Liv | Canada - TSN & RDS
Elena Rybakina vs Anna Blinkova preview
Third seed Elena Rybakina will lock horns with World No. 57 Anna Blinkova in the second round of the Australian Open 2024 on Thursday (January 18).
Trending
Rybakina has come into this season on the back of a stellar campaign in 2023 that saw her lift titles at Indian Wells and Rome, apart from runner-up finishes at the Australian Open and Miami. The former Wimbledon winner has simply picked up from where she left off, starting 2024 on a triumphant note with a title in Brisbane. In the final, she made short work of Aryna Sabalenka, the very player who stopped her in Melbourne Park last year.
Rybakina has now brought that momentum into the first Slam of the year. The Kazakh had a tricky opener against former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova, but was able to come through unscathed 7-6(6), 6-4 on Tuesday (January 16).
Anna Blinkova, meanwhile, has reached a couple of finals on the WTA tour, winning the Transylvania Open in 2022 and finishing as the runner-up at Strasbourg in 2023. Last year, she also made two semifinals at Hobart and Hong Kong that pushed her to a career-high No. 34 in the world rankings.
Currently placed at 57th, Blinkova didn't have a memorable start to the new season, losing her first two matches at Auckland and Hobart. The 25-year-old finally snapped the losing streak at the Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-4 thrashing of Cristina Bucsa on Tuesday.
Elena Rybakina vs Anna Blinkova head-to-head
Blinkova has a 1-0 lead over Rybakina in their head-to-head. The Russian came through 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 in their solitary encounter so far at St. Petersburg in 2017.
Elena Rybakina vs Anna Blinkova odds
(Odds sourced from oddschecker)
Elena Rybakina vs Anna Blinkova prediction
A lot has happened since the last time Rybakina and Blinkova crossed swords. The Kazakh has now six titles in her kitty, the biggest of which is of course her Wimbledon crown in 2022. Rybakina has now firmly established herself as one of the top contenders for the biggest titles on the tour.
Besides, the Kazakh's big serve and flat-hitting style are tailor-made for the courts at Melbourne Park, making her the heavy favorite to come through this clash. The most ominous piece of stat from her match against Pliskova is how she dominated even on her second serve, winning 74% of the points.
Clearly, Rybakina is going all out to claim the trophy she missed by a whisker last year.
That said, Blinkova does have it in her to trouble the Kazakh with her blend of attacking play from the baseline and her ability to mix it up with volleys. But to do that consistently, she needs to keep her own unforced error count to a minimum, which itself could be a challenge for the Russian.
Given her experience and ranking, Rybakina is expected to find a way to overcome the hiccups, if any, and sail through to the third round.
Pick: Elena Rybakina to win in straight sets
