Pick details
Stuttgart Prediction: Elena Rybakina vs Leylah Fernandez
12:30 PM EDT
The Line: Betting Odds: Elena Rybakina -1000 / Leylah Fernandez +540
Elena Rybakina vs Leylah Fernandez Preview
Elena Rybakina played her first match in over two weeks, but encountered little resistance in beating Diana Shnaider in straight sets in the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Rybakina set the tone for a comfortable win with an early break in the first set to lead 3-1. The Kazakh served impeccably in the first set, where she bagged the set 6-3 without facing a single break point.In the second set, Shnaider survived a very long fifth game where she erased a break point, but Rybakina’s pressure told late on when the top seed secured the break to move 5-4 up. Rybakina made no mistake in serving for the match 6-4. In the victory, Rybakina hit 9 aces and 2 double faults. She landed 69% of first serves in play and won 91% of first serve points (30/33). She did not face a break point in the whole match.
Leylah Fernandez won a rollercoaster late-night match against Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sonmez. Just a day after earning a first top 10 win, Sonmez was on course to reach the last eight in Stuttgart when she led World No. 25 Fernandez 5-1 in the third set. But the Canadian staged an unbelievable comeback. She won four games in a row to bring the score on level terms. Eventually, the set was decided in a tiebreak and again, Fernandez battled back from a deficit to prevail after three hours and 9 minutes.
In the victory, Fernandez hit 2 aces and 8 double faults. She landed 62% of first serves in play and won 57% of first serve points (45/79). Fernandez won 42% of second serve points (20/48) and saved 18 of 24 break points in the match. This will be Fernandez’s first quarterfinal of the season.
Elena Rybakina vs Leylah Fernandez Head-To-Head
Rybakina and Fernandez have met four times and the head-to-head is locked at 2-wins apiece. All four meetings were contested on hard courts and Rybakina prevailed in straight sets when they last played in Tokyo last season.Elena Rybakina vs Leylah Fernandez Prediction
I have to go with Rybakina and to win this routinely. Yes, Fernandez has caused her problems in the past, most memorably in Cincinnati and Washington. The Canadian has been somewhat of a nightmare matchup for Rybakina. But I think context matters as they are set to face off again. Fernandez is coming off that brutal three-hour marathon against Sonmez. Rybakina is back after taking a two-week break and she looked sharp, composed and very much in control in her opener.
Nur Said's Pick: Rybakina in straight sets
