Canadian Open 2023: Elina Svitolina vs Danielle Collins preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (PR) Elina Svitolina vs (Q) Danielle Collins
Date: August 8, 2023
Tournament: Canadian Open 2023
Round: First round (Round of 64)
Venue: Montreal, Canada
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $2,788,468
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - Sportsnet, TVA Sports | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Elina Svitolina vs Danielle Collins preview
World No. 26 Elina Svitolina will take on 2022 Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins in the first round of the 2023 Canadian Open on Tuesday (August 8).
Svitolina's first tournament since her return from maternity leave this year was the Charleston Open. She gave a good account of herself, but lost to Yulia Putintseva in the first round. The Ukrainian failed to get past the opening hurdle at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open as well.
Svitolina then rediscovered her groove at the Strasbourg Open, where she went on to win the title. She continued her good run of form at the French Open and made it to the last eight. The 28-year-old's first match on grass didn't go as planned as she lost to teenager Linda Fruhvirtova rather meekly in Birmingham.
That didn't affect her at all as she went on a tear at Wimbledon. The Ukrainian defeated Venus Williams, Elise Mertens, Sofia Kenin, Victoria Azarenka, and Iga Swiatek to reach the semifinals at the venue for the second time. She then lost to eventual champion Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets.
Svitolina reached the quarterfinals of last week's Citi Open. She scored wins over Azarenka and Daria Kasatkina before going down to Jessica Pegula in three sets.
Meanwhile, Collins' ranking has taken a hit due to her disappointing results this season. As such, she had to go through the qualifiers at the Canadian Open. She faced former Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard in the first round of qualifying and got past her in three sets.
Collins then faced Emina Bektas for a spot in the main draw. After claiming the first set, she lost a closely fought second set in the tie-break. The American then held her nerve in the deciding set to win the match 7-5, 6-7(10), 7-5.
Elina Svitolina vs Danielle Collins head-to-head
Collins leads Svitolina 1-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2020 Brisbane International in straight sets.
Elina Svitolina vs Danielle Collins odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Elina Svitolina vs Danielle Collins prediction
Collins was thoroughly tested by Bektas but managed to edge her out in the end to secure her spot in the main draw. It has been a tough year for the American and now she hasn't been handed an easy opener either.
On the other hand, after a tough start to her comeback, Svitolina has been in great form. Her only disappointing loss over the last few weeks has been a first-round exit from Birmingham. The last time she faced Collins, she was on the receiving end of a 6-1, 6-1 beatdown.
Given their recent results, things are likely to be different this time around. Svitolina is capable of handling big-hitters like Collins and based on her form, she should be able to move on to the next round.
Pick: Elina Svitolina to win in straight sets.