Adelaide International 1 2023: Aryna Sabalenka vs Irina-Camelia Begu preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match details
Fixture: (2) Aryna Sabalenka vs Irina-Camelia Begu
Date: January 7, 2023
Tournament: Adelaide International 1
Round: Semifinal
Venue: Memorial Drive Tennis Centre, Adelaide, Australia
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $826,837
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Aryna Sabalenka vs Irina-Camelia Begu preview
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka will square off against World No. 34 Irina-Camelia Begu in the semifinals of the 2023 Adelaide International 1 on Saturday.
After a first-round bye, Sabalenka was up against Liudmila Samsonova and won the match in two close sets. She even saved seven set points in the first set. She took on 2019 French Open runner-up Marketa Vondrousova in the quarterfinals.
Sabalenka needed to save a couple of break points in the very first game of the match but found her footing soon enough. She constantly put Vondrousova under pressure during her service games and managed to snag a break in the sixth game to go 4-2 up.
The Belarusian failed to capitalize on a couple of set points on her opponent's serve in the eighth game but served out the set herself in the following game. Sabalenka jumped to a 4-1 lead in the second set but unraveled after that. Vondrousova managed to level the score at 5-5, even saving a match point in the process.
Sabalenka regrouped in the nick of time, claiming the next couple of games to win the match 6-3, 7-5.
Begu needed three sets to get past Shelby Rogers but scored a commanding 6-3, 6-0 win over Jelena Ostapenko in the second round. She was up against World No. 10 Veronika Kudermetova in the quarterfinals.
The Russian jumped to a 3-1 lead in the first set. The pair struggled to hold serve after that, with six breaks of serve over the next eight games. Begu turned the tables on her opponent to capture the opener. Both players managed to keep pace with each other halfway through the second set.
The duo broke each other's serve, with Begu claiming an additional break to go 5-4 up. The Romanian served out the match after that to win 7-5, 6-4 and claim her eighth career top-10 scalp.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Irina-Camelia Begu head-to-head
Begu leads Sabalenka 1-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2022 Miami Open in straight sets.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Irina-Camelia Begu odds
(Odds will be added once they're available)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Irina-Camelia Begu prediction
Sabalenka seemed to be cruising against Vondrousova but lost the plot out of nowhere in the second set. While her opponent did raise her level by a fair margin, the Belarusian almost became the architect of her demise. But her fighting spirit was on full display yet again and she managed to turn things around before they got out of hand.
Begu has scored a couple of big wins en route to the semifinals. Her match against Kudermetova was a bit topsy-turvy, but she weathered the storm to come out on top. She had already played a big-hitter in the form of Ostapenko earlier and the experience would come in handy against Sabalenka as well.
The Belarusian's serve has largely held together and has managed to avoid a flurry of double faults and weak second serves. If completely focused, she can easily hit her opponent off the court. Begu has won their only meeting so far, but Sabalenka looks to be in good form and is likely to be better prepared this time around.
Pick: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets.