French Open 2023: Aryna Sabalenka vs Elina Svitolina preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Roland Garros
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Aryna Sabalenka vs (PR) Elina Svitolina
Date: June 6, 2023
Tournament: French Open 2023
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €49,600,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, NBC Sports, Peacock TV | Canada - TSN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Ten
Aryna Sabalenka vs Elina Svitolina preview
World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka will take on Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals of the 2023 French Open on Tuesday.
With wins over Marta Kostyuk, Iryna Shymanovich and Kamilla Rakhimova, Sabalenka made it to the fourth round in Paris for the first time. She faced off against 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens for a spot in the last eight.
Sabalenka blitzed to a 5-0 lead in no time. Stephens then raised her level and staged a fightback to equal the score, saving four set points as well. The Belarusian got her act together and managed to claim the set by gaining the upper hand in the ensuing tie-break.
Sabalenka led 4-2 in the second set, but Stephens once again dug deep to level the score. However, her comeback couldn't continue as the 25-year-old then bagged the next couple of games to win the match 7-6(5), 6-4.
Svitolina, meanwhile, defeated Martina Trevisan, Storm Hunter and Anna Blinkova to reach the fourth round, where she faced World No. 9 Daria Kasatkina. The Ukrainian broke her opponent's serve twice go to 4-1 up in the first set.
Kasatkina was able to retrieve one of the breaks, but Svitolina still managed to hold on to the lead to clinch the set. After five breaks of serve between the duo in the second set, the Ukrainian led 4-3. She served for the contest at 5-4 and even held a match point, but was unable to close it out.
Svitolina broke her opponent's serve yet again to go 6-5 up, but failed to wrap up the match on her second try as well. She finally got the job done in the tie-break to win the match 6-4, 7-6(5).
Aryna Sabalenka vs Elina Svitolina head-to-head
The two have evenly split their previous two meetings to tie the head-to-head at 1-1. Svitolina won their last encounter at the 2020 Strasbourg Open in three sets.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Elina Svitolina odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Elina Svitolina prediction
Both players weathered a storm from their opponents and their own missteps in the previous round. Sabalenka let go of a healthy lead in the first set, while Svitolina tightened up while serving for the match twice.
Svitolina feasted on Kasatkina's serve in the last round, but might not be able to do the same against the big-serving Sabalenka. The Belarusian won 77% of her first-serve points against Stephens. Their ground game, though different in execution, resulted in the same stat, with more unforced errors than winners.
Sabalenka's relentless and aggressive brand of tennis could overwhelm Svitolina. However, the Ukrainian's overall consistency could goad the World No. 2 into committing more and more errors.
With the two trying to reach the semifinals here for the first time, their nerves aren't going to ease up any time soon. As Svitolina's resume on clay is relatively better than Sabalenka's, she'll be the slight favorite to win this encounter.
Pick: Elina Svitolina to win in three sets.