Berlin 2024: Elena Rybakina vs Victoria Azarenka preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | ecotrans Ladies Open

Match Details

Fixture: (3) Elena Rybakina vs Victoria Azarenka

Date: Friday, June 21

Round: Quarterfinals

Tournament: 2024 ecotrans Ladies Open

Venue: Rot-Weiss Tennis Club, Berlin, Germany

Category: WTA 500

Surface: Grass

Prize Money: €823,000

Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - SkySports

Elena Rybakina vs Victoria Azarenka preview

Third seed Elena Rybakina will take on Victoria Azarenka in a tantalizing quarterfinal clash at the 2024 ecotrans Ladies Open on Friday, June 21.

Rybakina opened her 2024 season in scintillating fashion with the title in Brisbane, courtesy of a dominant 6-0, 6-3 win over second seed Aryna Sabalenka. She quickly brushed aside a disappointing Australian Open campaign with another title in Abu Dhabi. Another summit clash awaited her in Qatar, but top seed Iga Swiatek stood in her way. Her claycourt swing saw her win the title in Stuttgart, the last four in Madrid, and the last eight at the French Open.

Rybakina kicked off her campaign in Berlin against Veronika Kudermetova in the second round after receiving a bye in the first. She raced to a 3-0 lead in the opener on the back of some scintillating play from the back of the court. Kudermetova did break back and evened the score at 4-4, but a decisive break for Rybakina in the tenth game helped her seal the first set.

It was Kudermetova who jumped to the early lead in the second set. Rybakina was quick to respond, however, with some attacking play at the net. Up 6-5, the Kazakh converted on her fourth match point on the Kudermetova serve to eventually seal a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 victory.

Azarenka, meanwhile, has picked up 23 wins so far this season in 33 matches. She opened her season with a run to the semifinals in Brisbane and the fourth round in Melbourne. She also reached the quarterfinals in Qatar and the semifinals in Miami to cap on a rather successful hardcourt swing. She didn't see as much success on the clay with just runs to quarterfinals in Charleston and Rome to account for.

Azarenka has been in scintillating form in Berlin so far. She caused an upset in the opener, getting the better of Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-2. She carried that good form into the second round, seeing off Zeynep Sonmez en route to another straight sets (6-3, 6-3) victory.

Elena Rybakina vs Victoria Azarenka head-to-head

Elena Rybakina holds a perfect 4-0 head-to-head record over Victoria Azarenka. They last played at the Miami Open earlier this year with Rybakina prevailing 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 (2).

Elena Rybakina vs Victoria Azarenka odds

(Odds sourced from BetMGM)

Elena Rybakina vs Victoria Azarenka prediction

A gripping encounter is on the cards for fans as Elena Rybakina and Victoria Azarenka prepare to go head-to-head in a blockbuster quarterfinals clash in Berlin.

Rybakina blossomed on serve during her opener, winning 78% of points behind her first serve and notching up five aces. Her blistering play from the back of the court coupled with her fine coverage at the net paid dividends as she sealed a comfortable win.

Azarenka, meanwhile, has looked as good on the grass so far and has hardly had to break a sweat in her opening two matches in Berlin. She's been brilliant on serve too and has been broken just twice across the two matches. Her net play in particular has been extremely effective and a serious force to be reckoned with.

While we can expect an intriguing encounter between the pair, Azarenka could just sneak through and seal a berth in the last four purely based on her current form. Discounting a win for Rybakina wouldn't be very smart either, but Azarenka should ultimately come out on top should she continue playing the same attacking brand of tennis.

Pick: Azarenka in three sets.