Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA US Open match.
Elena Rybakina is gradually playing herself into form, but recent inconsistency has given opponents belief they can stay in the contest. For Tereza Valentová this is a chance to make a statement at Grand Slam level.
Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina won her first-round match against Julieta Pareja convincingly (6:3, 6:0), dropping only three games. However, her summer stretch on hard courts has been challenging. In Cincinnati only the match against Aryna Sabalenka (6:1, 6:4) reflected Rybakina’s previous level of focus, while she dropped a set in meetings with Elise Mertens, Madison Keys and Renata Zarazúa. In her previous 14 matches on hard courts, Elena conceded at least eight games on eight occasions.
Tereza Valentová
Tereza Valentová has already shown she belongs at senior level. This year she won the junior event at Roland Garros and reached the semi-finals of a WTA 250 event in Prague. Valentová looks assured on hard courts: she has won 12 of 13 matches this season (92%), and even in defeat to Marie Bouzková she took nine games. In New York Tereza came through qualifying and then edged the durable Lucia Bronzetti in a tight contest (6:3, 3:6, 6:4).
Elena Rybakina vs Tereza Valentová Prediction
Elena Rybakina has the advantage in experience and class, yet her tendency to go to a deciding set makes the contest less predictable. Tereza Valentová will compete and look to exploit any periods of instability across the net.
