Victoria Azarenka vs Kamilla Rakhimova - Guadalajara Open Tennis Prediction and Pick 9/11/24

Victoria Azarenka is returning to Guadalajara for the third year in a row. She has played well in this part of the globe, reaching the semifinal on her debut in 2022 and the quarterfinal last year. Azarenka was upset in each of her last two WTA tournaments in the third round stage, including at the 2024 US Open, despite being the overwhelming favorite.

The Belarusian has posted a 30-14 win-loss record for the season and has not won a title in four years. And in an understrength field this week, the former World No. 1 will fancy her chances of ending that title drought.

Kamilla Rakhimova did not have a great start to the season largely because of injury but has put together a nice run in the second half of the campaign to get her ranking into the Top 100. Rakhimova has been winning a lot since the start of September.

She captured the WTA 125K in Guadalajara, which preceded the actual WTA 500 event this week. And she did not get complacent with that success as she won her opening match against Aleksandra Krunic in straight sets to extend her win streak to six matches.

Victoria Azarenka vs Kamilla Rakhimova Head-To-Head

• Azarenka and Rakhimova have never played each other at any level before this.

Victoria Azarenka vs Kamilla Rakhimova Prediction

Azarenka hasn't played since shock third-round defeat to Yafan Wang at the US Open. Rakhimova, meanwhile, has a tailwind of confidence coming into this match after winning the 125K title in the same city. It has been a stop-start season for the veteran Azarenka, who has been perturbed by injuries and inconsistency. Rakhimova has played superb tennis on hard courts lately, winning a set against Aryna Sabalenka in Washington and running Iga Swiatek close in New York. With that track record, she offers great value as an underdog in this match at +270.