Elena Rybakina starts her campaign for the title in Melbourne straight away against Kaja Juvan, who is unlikely to offer her serious resistance, just as three years ago.
Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina comes into this match in excellent form, having won 13 of her last 15 matches and still being among the main contenders for the title at the Australian Open. She is very comfortable in Melbourne: she has reached at least the second round here for seven years in a row, and last season she lost only to Aryna Sabalenka in the final. On hard courts, Elena is very strong, winning 69% of her career matches (190:85), and she beat Juvan on this surface at the Australian Open in 2023 (6:2, 6:1).
Kaja Juvan
By contrast, Kaja Juvan is only now returning to her previous level after a difficult period. She has improved on clay, winning a title in Ljubljana, but on hard courts she clearly lacks power and consistency. She did win a hard-court event at the Samsun Open, but only the Swiss player Simona Waltert is inside the top 100; the rest of the opponents were outside the top 100 in the world rankings. In her most recent match against a top-10 opponent, the Slovenian won only one game against Iga "wiatek (0:6, 1:6), and a similar scenario could occur here.
Elena Rybakina vs Kaja Juvan Prediction
Rybakina has won 21 of 27 matches against opponents ranked outside the top 50, and in most cases she has done so comfortably. Her opening matches at Grand Slam events are rarely long: she quickly finds her rhythm and uses her serve to close out sets.
