Wimbledon 2023: Victoria Azarenka vs Elina Svitolina preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (19) Victoria Azarenka vs (WC) Elina Svitolina
Date: July 9, 2023
Tournament: Wimbledon 2023
Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)
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
Victoria Azarenka vs Elina Svitolina preview
Two-time Major champion Victoria Azarenka will square off against Elina Svitolina in the fourth round of the 2023 Wimbledon on Sunday.
Azarenka knocked out Yuan Yue and Nadia Podoroska to reach the third round here. She faced World No. 10 Daria Kasatkina for a spot in the fourth round. The Belarusian went down a break to trail 2-1 in the first set. She then flipped the script as she reeled off five games in a row to claim the opener.
Azarenka led 3-1 in the second set, but Kasatkina managed to level the score down the line. With her opponent serving to stay in the match at 5-4, the Belarusian made her move. She secured a break of serve to win the contest 6-2, 6-4 and reach the fourth round here for the first time since 2017.
Svitolina ousted Venus Williams in the first round and followed it up with a win over Elise Mertens. She was up against 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the third round. The Ukrainian overcame a break deficit in the first set and then came out on top in the tie-break to take the set.
Svitolina took control of the second set right off the bat. She broke Kenin's serve twice to win the match 7-6 (3), 6-2. This is just her third time making it to the fourth round at Wimbledon.
Victoria Azarenka vs Elina Svitolina head-to-head
Azarenka owns a perfect 5-0 winning record against Svitolina. She won their previous encounter at the 2022 Australian Open in straight sets.
Victoria Azarenka vs Elina Svitolina odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Victoria Azarenka vs Elina Svitolina prediction
Svitolina's serving stats and winner count in the previous round were a bit higher than Azarenka's. However, she committed a few more errors as well. The Ukrainian has managed to win just two sets across her five matches against the former World No. 1.
While both are former semifinalists at Wimbledon, neither counts grass as their favorite surface. As such, Svitolina will fancy her chances of scoring her first win over Azarenka. The Ukrainian's court coverage is still pretty good, and instead of just relying on her defensive skills, she's not afraid to take charge these days.
Azarenka has been rather inconsistent over the last few months. While the head-to-head leans in her favor, she'll need to be at her best to take down Svitolina. If her aggressive brand of tennis finds its mark on a frequent basis, she's likely to notch up another win in this rivalry, or else her opponent will have the last laugh.
Pick: Victoria Azarenka to win in three sets.