Roland Garros 2021: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Elena Rybakina preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (31) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs (21) Elena Rybakina
Date: 8 June 2021
Tournament: Roland Garros 2021
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: €17,171,108
Match timing: Approx. 2 pm local time, 12 pm GMT, 8 am EST, 5.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | UK - ITV | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Elena Rybakina preview
Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will take on Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina in an exciting clash quarterfinal clash between doubles partners at Roland Garros 2021.
Pavlyuchenkova entered the tournament off a strong run at the Madrid Open and has shown no signs of slowing down in Paris. The Russian has produced a couple of battling three-set wins over seeded opponents Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka to reach the last eight, a feat she first achieved a decade ago as a 19-year-old.
For Elena Rybakina, this will be a first quarterfinal at a Grand Slam event. The 21-year-old, in her fourth-round match, fought hard to down Serena Williams and end her pursuit of a 24th Grand Slam title.
Rybakina rarely looked overwhelmed by the occasion as she outhit Williams from the baseline. The win would have filled the Kazakh with confidence ahead of her clash with Pavlyuchenkova.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Elena Rybakina head-to-head
This will be the first career meeting between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Elena Rybakina, so their current head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Elena Rybakina prediction
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has been in the quarterfinals of Grand Slams before, but she has had trouble progressing past this stage. But with the bottom half of the draw wide open in Paris, she will sense a huge opportunity.
The Russian has been striking the ball cleanly off both wings all week. She was in devastating touch in her quarterfinal clash against Victoria Azarenka, striking 45 winners and making just 27 unforced errors.
Elena Rybakina can go toe-to-toe with her opponent from the baseline and will not be easily intimidated. The Kazakh did well to set up points with her big serve against Williams and will look to do the same against the Russian.
The pressure will definitely be on Pavlyuchenkova, who is the more experienced of the two players. But the Russian has spoken at length about enjoying her time out on the court without worrying about the outcome of her matches.
The change in on-court attitude has allowed her to play with much more freedom, and if Pavlyuchenkova can stay aggressive without giving away too many free points to Rybakina, she should be able to make it to the semifinals.
Prediction: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to win in two tight sets
Please help Sportskeeda improve its tennis coverage by taking this 30-second survey.