United Cup 2025: Elena Rybakina vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (KAZ) Elena Rybakina vs (ESP) Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
Date: December 27, 2024
Tournament: United Cup 2025
Round: Group Stage
Venue: RAC Arena, Perth, Australia
Category: United Cup
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize Money: US$11,170,000
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN, RDS
Elena Rybakina vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro preview
Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina will take on Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the group stage of the United Cup 2025.
Despite recurring health woes, Rybakina mounted another successful campaign in 2024. She won three titles, all at the WTA 500 level, in Brisbane, Abu Dhabi, and Stuttgart. She also finished as the runner-up at the Qatar Open and the Miami Open, two WTA 1000 events.
Rybakina's best showing at a Major was a semifinal at Wimbledon, along with a quarterfinal appearance at the French Open. She was stunned by Anna Blinkova in the second round of the Australian Open, and withdrew prior to her second-round match at the US Open.
Rybakina parted ways with her long-time coach Stefano Vukov after the US Open. She directly arrived at the WTA Finals following the season's last Major. While she failed to get out of the group stage, she did secure a win over World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. She hired Goran Ivanisevic as her new coach after that.
Bouzas Maneiro shot into the limelight with a stunning upset win over defending champion Marketa Vondrousova in the first round of Wimbledon 2024. An injury forced her to throw in the towel against Barbora Krejcikova in the third round. She also advanced to the third round of the US Open.
Bouzas Maneiro reached the quarterfinals of the Guangzhou Open, her other notable result of the season. She cracked the top 100 for the first time in her career this year, and eventually peaked at No. 54 in the rankings earlier this month.
Elena Rybakina vs Jessica Bouzas Manerino head-to-head
This will be the first career meeting between them, so the head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Elena Rybakina vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Elena Rybakina vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro prediction
Rybakina will be eager to do some damage with new coach Ivanisevic in her corner after a disruptive 2024 season. While this will be her debut at the United Cup, she has a pretty solid record in Australia. She was the runner-up at the Australian Open 2023, and won a title in Brisbane this year, and another one in Hobart back in 2020.
22-year-old Bouzas Maneiro showed that she's capable of keeping up with the top guns. Aside from her upset win over Vondrousova, she also beat players like Katie Boulter and Paula Badosa. She will be eyeing to secure another notable scalp to give Spain an edge in this encounter.
However, Rybakina has a 33-4 record against players ranked outside the top 50 since the start of 2023. Lower-ranked players have found it tough to deal with her constant barrage of precise and powerful shotmaking. Bouzas Maneiro, now ranked 54th, is likely to meet the same fate as the others.
Pick: Elena Rybakina to win in straight sets.