Madrid Open 2023: Elina Svitolina vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (WC) Elina Svitolina vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open 2023
Date: April 26, 2023
Round: First Round (Round of 128)
Venue: Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: €7,652,174
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Elina Svitolina vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich preview
Elina Svitolina will take on Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the first round of the Madrid Open on Wednesday.
Svitolina returned to the WTA tour after being out of action for a year due to her pregnancy. The Ukrainian's first tournament this season was the Charleston Open, where she lost her opening match 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4 to Yulia Putintseva.
Svitolina then competed in two ITF tournaments in Switzerland and Portugal. She suffered a second-round exit at the former at the hands of Alexandra Cadanțu-Ignatik. She then lost 2-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 to Clara Tauson in Portugal.
Sasnovich, meanwhile, has won four out of 10 matches this season. She made the second round at Indian Wells, Miami, the Australian Open and the Abu Dhabi Open.
The Belarusian's most recent outing came at the Charleston Open, where she lost 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-1 to Sofia Kenin in the first round. She is currently ranked No. 47 in the world.
Elina Svitolina vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich head-to-head
The head-to-head between the two players is currently tied at 1-1. They last met in the second round of the 2019 Brisbane International, with Sasnovich winning 6-4. 0-6, 6-3.
Elina Svitolina vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich odds
(odds sourced via Oddschecker)
Elina Svitolina vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich prediction
Although Svitolina has been out of action for a while, she is expected to put up a tough fight against Sasnovich.
Svitolina has won 72 out of 111 matches on clay, with a win percentage of 64.87%. She has the defensive qualities as well as the movement to excel on the surface.
The Ukrainian hits well off both flanks and can switch quickly from defense to offense.
Sasnovich is an aggressive baseliner with plenty of power. She has a powerful serve that can fetch quite a few free points through aces. However, her power-packed game is often vulnerable to unforced errors.
While the Belarusian will enter the match as the slight favorite, Svitolina is getting better the more she plays and might just be able to score her first win on the WTA tour this season.
Pick: Svitolina in three sets.