US Open 2024: Victoria Azarenka vs Yuliia Starodubtseva preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (20) Victoria Azarenka vs (Q) Yuliia Starodubtseva
Date: August 26, 2024
Tournament: US Open 2024
Round: First Round (Round of 128)
Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York, USA
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $75,000,000
Live Telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN, RDS
Victoria Azarenka vs Yuliia Starodubtseva preview
20th seed Victoria Azarenka will take on Ukrainian qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva in the first round of the 2024 US Open. The winner of the match will take on either Sloane Stephens or Clara Burel in the second round.
Azarenka has won 28 out of 41 matches so far this season, having reached the semifinals of the Miami Open and the quarterfinals of two WTA 1000 events in Rome and Doha.
The Belarusian last competed at the Canadian Open in Toronto and started with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She then came back from a set down to beat Belgian qualifier Greet Minnen 3-6, 7-5, 6-1. She played the third round against Peyton Stearns, who won the first set 6-4 and led 4-2 in the second before Azarenka retired due to injury.
World No. 146 Yuliia Starodubtseva has played just five main-draw matches so far in 2024, winning just one of them. The Ukrainian has mostly competed in ITF tournaments, WTA 125 events, and qualifying rounds for WTA Tour competitions.
She entered the US Open qualifiers, where she beat Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva 6-2, 6-1 before grinding out a 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 victory over Gao Xinyu to reach the final round.
Here, Yarodubtseva faced Sonay Kartal and found herself a set down. However, the Ukrainian fought back and took the next two sets to register a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 win. She made the US Open main draw for the first time in her career.
Victoria Azarenka vs Yuliia Starodubtseva head-to-head
The two will lock horns for the very first time on the WTA Tour. Their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Victoria Azarenka vs Yuliia Starodubtseva odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Victoria Azarenka vs Yuliia Starodubtseva prediction
Azarenka will enter the match as the favorite to win, given her experience and her solid form so far this season.
The Belarusian won 70% of points on her first serve during the Cincinnati Open (70 out of 100), serving 11 aces. However, she also produced 19 double faults. The 35-year-old cannot afford too many of those if she wants to go deep into the US Open 2024.
Azarenka, a powerful hitter of the ball, will be eager to put Starodubtseva on the back foot from the start. The Belarusian has had some impressive performances in Flushing Meadows before, and based on her current form, it won't be much of a surprise if she does well this year.
Starodubtseva didn't have the best numbers on her first serve during the US Open qualifiers, winning just 60.9% of points (89 out of 146). The Ukrainian will need to be effective on her service games while looking for the odd decisive break.
Azarenka's relatively superior form, combined with Starodubtseva's lack of experience on the WTA Tour, should see the former come out on top and reach the second round of the US Open.
Pick: Victoria Azarenka to win in three sets