Guadalajara Open 2022: Elena Rybakina vs Karolina Pliskova preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details:
Fixture: Karolina Pliskova vs Elena Rybakina
Date: October 17, 2022
Tournament: Guadalajara Open 2022
Round: First Round
Venue: Panamerican Tennis Center, Guadalajara, Mexico
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $2,527,250
Live telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video.
Elena Rybakina vs Karolina Pliskova preview
2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina will face off against 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Pliskova in the first round of the Guadalajara Open on Monday.
Rybakina has had a season of mixed results. The 23-year-old has registered 38 wins against 19 losses. Her only title of the year came at Wimbledon. She has reached the final two other times, finishing as the runner-up at the Adelaide International following defeat to Ashleigh Barty and more recently at the Slovenia Open, where she lost to Katerina Siniakova. The Russian-born Kazakh additionally made the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Open and the Cincinnati Open.
Rybakina, who withdrew from the ongoing San Diego Open due to illness, will contest the WTA 1000 in Guadalajara on the back of a semifinal loss to eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova at the Ostrava Open.
Pliskova, meanwhile, will enter the tournament in Mexico on the back of a second-round loss to Donna Vekic at the San Diego Open. The Czech player has had a rather bleak season, having been on the sidelines tending to a wrist injury earlier this year.
She has collected 21 wins and 18 losses, with many opening-round defeats. The 30-year-old has, however, managed to find some decent results at the US Open and the German Open, where she reached the quarterfinals, and in Strasbourg and Canada, where she made the semifinals.
Elena Rybakina vs Karolina Pliskova head-to-head
They have faced each other once before, at the 2020 Dubai Tennis Championships, where Rybakina triumphed in straight sets over Pliskova 7-6 (1), 6-3. The Kazakh thus leads 1-0 head-to-head.
Elena Rybakina vs Karolina Pliskova odds
(Odds will be updated soon)
Elena Rybakina vs Karolina Pliskova prediction
Both players have had inconsistent results this year and there will be no clear favorites for the encounter.
Rybakina and Pliskova are known to rely heavily on their big serves and aggressive game style. However, the Kazakh has been much more accurate with her serve than the former World No. 1.
In her previous encounter against Krejcikova, she dished out 17 aces with just one double fault. On the other hand, Pliskova, in her last encounter against Vekic, was able to produce only two aces against five double faults.
The duo will look to engage in a battle of quick points with their all-or-nothing style. However, the Wimbledon champion’s more reliable serve will likely edge out the 30-year-old.
Pick: Rybakina to win in straight sets.