US Open 2022: Aryna Sabalenka vs Clara Burel preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (6) Aryna Sabalenka vs (Q) Clara Burel.
Date: September 3, 2022.
Tournament: US Open 2022.
Round: Third round (Round of 32).
Venue: New York, United States.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $60,102,000.
Live telecast: USA - ESPN & ESPN2 | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sony Liv, Sony Ten & Sony Six.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Clara Burel preview
World No. 6 Aryna Sabalenka will take on qualifier Clara Burel in the third round of the 2022 US Open on Saturday.
Following a routine first-round victory over Catherine Harrison, Sabalenka was up against Kaia Kanepi, who she lost to in the fourth round of the Australian Open earlier this year.
The match started with three straight breaks of serve, with Kanepi holding the edge to go 2-1 up. She maintained the lead and bagged another service break towards the end of the set to nab the opener. The Estonian raced to a 5-1 lead in the second set and it looked like she was all set to knock the World No. 6 out of yet another Grand Slam.
However, Sabalenka staged a fightback by winning five games in a row to get back on serve. In the ensuing tie-break, she saved a couple of match points as well en route to winning the set. The Belarusian played with a renewed sense of belief after this.
Sabalenka got the decisive break in the fifth game of the third set. She later stepped up to serve for the match at 5-4. After wasting two match points and saving a couple of break points, she finally closed out the proceedings to complete a 2-6, 7-6 (8), 6-4 comeback victory.
ALL❤️
Aryna Sabalenka fights back from 6-2, 5-1, down to take down Kanepi! https://t.co/iypJDmZdzA
Clara Burel came through the qualifying rounds to defeat reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the first round. She took on Alison Van Uytvanck in the second round, who had knocked out Venus Williams in the previous round.
The opening set swung back and forth between them. Burel jumped to a 3-0 lead but lost the next four games. The Frenchwoman then won the next three games in a row to take the set. The second set was similar too, with the duo finding it tough to hold serve. There were five breaks of serve, with Van Uytvanck coming out on top to clinch the set.
After the Belgian snagged an early break in the deciding set to go 2-1 up, Burel broke back immediately to level the score. The two remained on serve after that. With Van Uytvanck serving to stay in the match at 5-4, the 21-year-old broke her opponent's serve for the final time to win 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Clara Burel head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Clara Burel odds
(All odds sourced from BetMGM)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Clara Burel prediction
Sabalenka staged quite the escape act against Kanepi in the second round, but she'll need to clean up her game going forward. She was plagued by her serving woes yet again, coughing up 11 double faults. The Belarusian also committed 41 unforced errors, while striking 28 winners.
Despite Sabalenka's unfavorable stats, her focus and determination remain unmatched. While she dug herself out of a huge hole yet again, at some point she'll need to be the frontrunner.
Burel is having a good campaign as well. She'll be aiming to reach the fourth round of a Major for the first time in her career. The 21-year-old defeated Rybakina in the first round, who, like Sabalenka, possesses powerful groundstrokes. She will need to replicate her game plan from that match while remaining adaptable if it doesn't yield similar results.
However, with Burel's overall season being quite underwhelming, Sabelenka has the edge going into this contest. As long as the World No. 6 doesn't make too many errors, she should be able to come out on top.
Pick: Aryna Sabalenka to win in straight sets.