Roland Garros 2021: Victoria Azarenka vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (18) Victoria Azarenka vs (31) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Date: 6 June 2021
Tournament: Roland Garros 2021
Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: €17,171,108
Match timing: 12 pm local time, 10 am GMT, 6 am EST, 3.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | UK - ITV | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Victoria Azarenka vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova preview
The fourth round of Roland Garros 2021 will see a mouthwatering clash between Victoria Azarenka and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Sunday.
Azarenka, who made an appearance in a Grand Slam final for the first time in seven years at last year's US Open, has battled a back injury through most of 2021. The Belarusian has only managed intermittent play of late, and she entered Roland Garros with virtually no match practice on clay.
But Azarenka has still managed a solid start to her campaign here in Paris. She has scored resounding wins over quality opponents in Madison Keys, Clara Tauson and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Pavlyuchnekova, on her part, has been playing some of her best tennis in recent weeks. The Russian is fresh off a semifinal finish at the Mutua Madrid Open, where she beat four top-25 opponents in a row,
Pavlyuchenkova seems to have carried that momentum into Roland Garros, and she has made a return to the second week here after a gap of a decade. The 29-year-old came up with a splendid display of clean ball-striking in her third-round match to take out third seed and title contender Aryna Sabalenka.
Victoria Azarenka vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova head-to-head
Victoria Azarenka holds a comfortable 5-1 lead over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in their head-to-head. The only win that the Russian has registered over her opponent came via a retirement.
Victoria Azarenka vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova prediction
Given the lopsided head-to-head and her higher seeding, Victoria Azarenka will enter this contest as the firm favorite on paper. But the Belarusian has had a few close encounters against Anastasia Pavlyuchnkova in the past, and would be wary of the threat of her big-hitting opponent on clay.
Pavlyuchnekova's win over Sabalenka marked her 16th triumph over a top 5 opponent. That's a seriously impressive number for someone who has never been in the top 10 herself, but the Russian has always been a bit of an underachiever when it comes to the rankings.
Pavlyuchenkova has a power-packed game and can generate a lot of power off both flanks. Her game, however, does not allow for too much margin, and that can produce a lot of errors on occasion - in stark contrast to Azarenka's measured baseline game.
Pavlyuchnekova has talked about how she's trying to enjoy her tennis more without worrying about the rankings or opponents, and how the change in attitude has helped her play with more freedom. But it remains to be seen whether she can maintain that mindset in a big match like this one.
Azaranka will look to turn this encounter into a baseline slugfest, and will definitely not go down without a fight. That said, this is the best that Pavlyuchenkova has looked in years, and if she keeps striking the ball as cleanly as she has all week, she might walk away with her first completed win over the Belarusian.
Prediction: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to win in three sets.
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