Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Washington match.
Elena Rybakina heads into her second match in Washington with a place in the semi-finals in her sights. She will take on Magdalena Frech, who has managed to string together back-to-back wins on hard courts for the first time since March. However, both of those wins came against opponents who are not among the sport’s elite.
Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina dispatched Victoria Mboko with authority, displaying consistency from the baseline and a strong first-serve performance. She has now claimed six victories in her last nine hard-court matches and is enjoying a solid run in the second half of the season. The Kazakh has faced Magdalena Frech twice before—both times on hard courts in Dubai and Taipei—and won both matches.
Magdalena Frech
Magdalena Frech has struggled on hard courts this year, with just five wins from 14 matches. In Washington, she overcame Yuliia Starodubtseva and Venus Williams, but neither opponent was close to top form. Against the Ukrainian, Magdalena won only 58% of points on her first serve, and against the American, she recorded three double faults.
Elena Rybakina vs Magdalena Frech Prediction
The edge in both quality and current momentum clearly belongs to Elena Rybakina. Magdalena Frech is unlikely to impose herself from the baseline as she typically does and is expected to fall short by a margin of at least four games.
