Citi Open 2024: Aryna Sabalenka vs Victoria Azarenka preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Aryna Sabalenka vs (6) Victoria Azarenka
Date: August 3, 2024
Tournament: Mubadala Citi DC Open
Round: Quarter-Final
Venue: Rock Creek Park Tennis Center, Washington
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $142,000
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel (USA) | TSN (Canada) | Sky Sports (UK)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Victoria Azarenka preview
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka will take on sixth-seeded compatriot Victora Azarenka in the quarter-final of the 2024 Citi Open. Sabalenka has a 31-9 record in 2024, with the headline victory at this year's Australian Open. The Belarusian has cemented her sport in the top 3 on the WTA rankings this year, behind Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff.
Apart from the Australian Open win, Sabalenka reached the finals of the Italian Open and the Madrid Open, losing against Swiatek on both occasions. However, injury concerns hampered Sabalenka's grass court season, as she had to retire from her match at the ecoTrans Ladies Open in Berlin, and also withdraw from Wimbledon.
At the Citi Open, she secured a bye in the first round. She had to fight past Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set battle in the second round.
Victoria Azarenka has had a decent season, with a 26-11 record. The former World No. 1 has reached three semi-finals in this season, at the Brisbane International, Miami Open, and the EcoTrans Ladies Open. She lost against top players like Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Anna Kalinskaya in those matches.
At the Citi Open, Azarenka has played two tricky matches so far. In the first match against Hailey Baptiste, Azarenka won in straight sets, but both sets had to be decided by tiebreakers. In the second, round against Wang Yafan, the Belarusian had to fight back from being a set down to win the match.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Victoria Azarenka head-to-head
Sabalenka has a 4-1 head-to-head record against Azarenka. Sabalenka won the last encounter at the semi-final of the Brisbane International this year.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Victoria Azarenka odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Victoria Azarenka prediction
Sabalenka hit 13 aces in her match against Rakhimova. This helped her win 75% of her first-serve points. However, the World No. 3 has a well-documented issue of serving doubles faults in her matches. Even in this match, Sabalenka made 14 double faults. She had a weak second serve, winning only 48% of the points. However, she fared well under pressure, as she saved 9 out of 12 break point opportunities she faced on her serve.
Azarenka was in fine serving form against Wang Yafan, winning 67 percent of her points on the first serve. Even on the return wing, the Belarusian was equally effective, winning half of the total return points in the match. She attacked the second serve of her opponent, winning 59% of those points.
If Sabalenka makes regular double faults, that will open the door for a strong returner like Azarenka on the second serve. Also, this will be the first time Sabalenka will be facing a high-caliber opponent since her injury. Still, the top seed should be able to prevail in what could be a grueling three-set match.
Pick- Sabalenka to win in three sets.