Roland Garros 2021: Aryna Sabalenka vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (3) Aryna Sabalenka vs (31) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Date: 4 June 2021
Tournament: Roland Garros 2021
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Red Clay
Prize money: €17,171,108
Match timing: 11 am local time, 9 am GMT, 5 am EST, 2.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | UK - ITV | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Aryna Sabalenka vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova preview
Aryna Sabalenka managed to eke out a straight-sets win over compatriot Aliaksandra Sasnovich on Wednesday to book her spot in the third round of the 2021 Roland Garros. She next faces former French Open quarterfinalist and 31st seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Friday.
Sabalenka has played some of her best tennis over the course of the clay swing this season; she took home a first WTA 1000 title on clay at the Madrid Open and came into Roland Garros with a 11-2 win-loss record on the surface. In Paris, she has done well to overcome quality opponents in Sasnovich and Ana Konjuh.
Meanwhile, Pavlyuchenkova, who reunited with her brother and former coach Alexander at the beginning of the year, endured a slow start to the season with early exits in the Australian Open, Doha and Dubai.
The Russian, however, turned her fortunes around in Madrid, where she scored wins over the likes of Karolina Pliskova, Jennifer Brady and Karolina Muchova en route to the last eight. She looks to have carried that momentum into Paris, where she has dropped only nine games in her first two rounds.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova head-to-head
Aryna Sabalenka and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova have split their two meetings, so their current head-to-head stands at a 1-1 deadlock. While the Russian bagged a three-set win in 2019, Sabalenka exacted revenge with a straight-sets win in the Madrid semifinals earlier this year.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova prediction
Both Aryna Sabalenka and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova have power-packed games which means the third-round encounter is likely to be a baseline slugfest.
The Belarusian has been ultra-aggressive on return in her two matches in Paris and has won well over 50% of the points during her opponent's service games. But she has struggled to be as effective on her own serve with her strategy of going for broke on second serve failing to yield rewards.
Pavlyuchenkova has the weapons to punish Sabalenka's second serve, but she might find it hard to get any rhythm given the Belarusian's tendency to try and hit winners on almost every shot.
The Russian will need to ensure she protects her own serve. If she can stay within touching distance of Sabalenka on the scoreboard, the pressure will undoubtedly fall on the shoulders of the third-seeded Belarusian.
This has all the makings of a classic and given Sabalenka's recent form, she should be able to come out on top.
Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets
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