Wimbledon 2023: Elena Rybakina vs Shelby Rogers preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Elena Rybakina vs Shelby Rogers
Date: July 4, 2023
Tournament: Wimbledon 2023
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: London, United Kingdom
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Grass
Prize money: £44,700,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | Canada - TSN & RDS | UK - BBC & Eurosport | India - Star Sports
Elena Rybakina vs Shelby Rogers preview
Elena Rybakina will commence her title defense at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships against Shelby Rogers on Tuesday.
Rybakina has enjoyed considerable success this year, but has been plagued with health issues over the last month. The first few months of the season saw her win the BNP Paribas Open while reaching the finals of the Australian Open and the Miami Open.
Rybakina then claimed the biggest title of her career on clay by winning the Italian Open. She was one of the leading title contenders at the French Open, but her campaign in Paris came to an unexpected end. The Kazakh withdrew prior to her scheduled third-round contest due to a respiratory illness.
Rybakina prepared for Wimbledon by competing at the WTA 500 event in Berlin. She was sent packing by Donna Vekic in the second round. She was set to participate in the Rothesay International after that, but pulled out of the event due to a viral illness.
Rogers, meanwhile, has been down on her luck this season, with only a handful of wins under her belt. A quarterfinal run at the Abu Dhabi Open in February remains her best result in 2023. Since the American's third-round exit from the Madrid Open in May, she hasn't won a match.
Elena Rybakina vs Shelby Rogers head-to-head
Rybakina leads Rogers 3-2 in the head-to-head. The latter won their most recent encounter at the 2022 Libema Open in straight sets.
Elena Rybakina vs Shelby Rogers odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Elena Rybakina vs Shelby Rogers prediction
Based on their results this year, Rybakina has the clear edge in this encounter. However, her rivalry with Rogers has been a close one and the two have competed on grass thrice. The Kazakh won two of those encounters, but lost the other one, which took place last year at the Libema Open.
Rybakina's physical issues have given her some woes over the past month. If she's unable to play at a high level from the start, staging a comeback could prove to be difficult against Rogers. While the American hasn't been at her best this year, she's known to cause an upset or two from time to time.
Should Rogers revert to producing some of her finest tennis, Rybakina could find herself on the backfoot. However, Wimbledon has been the American's weakest Major, with just four main-draw wins to her name. She has managed to get past the opening hurdle just twice so far.
A fully fit Rybakina should win this encounter with ease. If Rogers manages to peak again, the defending champion should be able to respond by raising her level to advance further.
Pick: Elena Rybakina to win in three sets.