“I was waiting for this match for a long time” – Like a tiger waiting to pounce on its prey! This was Elena Rybakina’s reaction after snatching a victory in her first grass-court match of the season. She defeated Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova by 6-4, 7-5 in the R16 clash, and now she’s all set for the blockbuster showdown in Berlin! Elena Rybakina takes on the former world number one, Victoria Azarenka, in the QF of the Grass Court Championships on Friday (June 21). Who will win this epic faceoff?

Victoria Azarenka has also started off her campaign in Berlin pretty well. She will enter this contest after having two comfortable victories in her previous two matches. Azarenka hasn’t yet dropped a set here! It will be interesting to see if the former world number one showcases a similar domination over the current world number four in Berlin this year.

Victoria Azarenka vs Elena Rybakina: Preview

The two-time Grand Slam champion has had a decent start to her season this year. Although she hasn’t yet won a title this year, she has reached two SFs and three QFs in her previous tournaments this season. In her previous match in Berlin, she defeated Turkiye’s Zeynep Sonmez by 6-3, 6-3. Looking at her numbers from that match, she could hit only one ace and committed four double faults. Victoria Azarenka won 63% of her first serve and an equal percentage of her second serve in that match. However, she could convert only five of her ten breakpoints.

Azarenka will now be looking forward to making those deep runs convert into fruitful results for the rest of this season. If we take a glimpse at her stats from this season, the 34-year-old Belarusian tennis star has hit 90 aces this season and has committed 119 double faults. She has won 70.9% of her service games and 41.4% of her return games as of now.

On the other hand, Elena Rybakina is in red-hot form this year. She has already clinched three titles this year, and now she’s hungry for more! Rybakina has made it to the finals twice and also made one SF and two QF appearances in her previous tournaments this year. In her previous match against Kudermetova, she was quite impressive. She scored five aces, committing just two double faults in the entire match. Her first serve win percentage was 78%, while it was just around 53% on the second serve. Rybakina converted four out of her eleven breakpoints against the Russian.

Elena Rybakina loves acing her aces! So far this season, she has fired 260 aces and committed nearly 87 double faults. She has won 79.7% of her service games and 36.9% of her return games. Who in between these two tennis stars is currently leading the H2H scoreline?

Azarenka vs Rybakina: Head-to-Head

Elena Rybakina has played against Victoria Azarenka four times in her career. She won the four matches against the Belarusian tennis star. Their first meeting was at the 2022 Indian Wells Masters, where Rybakina defeated Azarenka comfortably in two sets. After that, the two played against each other three times, including in an SF clash at the 2023 AO.

• 2022 Indian Wells Masters round of 32: Rybakina 6-3, 6-4
• 2023 Australian Open semifinal: Rybakina 7-6, 6-3
• 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships round of 32: Rybakina 4-6, 6-2 (Azarenka retired)

Their latest meeting came at the Miami Open. Rybakina defeated Azarenka 6-4, 0-6, 7-6(2) in yet another SF clash. Taking a look at their numbers from the epic faceoff, Rybakina hit eleven aces and committed just three double faults. Azarenka hit eight aces and committed six double faults against the Kazakhstani tennis star. 

She won 75% of her first serve and 54% of her second, while Rybakina won 82% of her first serve and 41% of her second serve. Rybakina converted just two out of her eleven breakpoints, but Azarenka converted four out of her eight breakpoints. 

Prediction: Rybakina to win in three sets

Looking at their current forms, this match can prove to be an entertaining contest. Both players are keen to gain momentum ahead of the Wimbledon Championships. Victoria Azarenka currently has a win-loss record of 23-10 this season, whereas it’s 35-7 for Elena Rybakina. Rybakina has a grass slam in the bag, and Azarenka has reached the SF of Wimbledon twice in her career. Therefore, both the players are quite comfortable on this surface.

Both Elena Rybakina and Victoria Azarenka are aggressive baseliners. However, Azarenka is known for her strong, flat groundstrokes, and her strongest groundstroke is her two-handed backhand. She’s in fact one of the greatest returners on the women’s tour. Rybakina, on the other hand, can generate effortless power on both her groundstrokes and serves. She hits a smashing backhand and forehand. Looking at their current form and their dominance this year, Elena Rybakina will most likely win this epic contest!