Elena Rybakina not spared by the Wimbledon 2023 draw as a repeat of last year’s finals against Jabeur awaits early on with Sabalenka and Swiatek also in the wings

The Kazakh will face Shelby Rogers in the first round of 2023 Wimbledon to defend her title.

Elena Rybakina not spared by the Wimbledon 2023 draw as a repeat of last year’s finals against Jabeur awaits early on with Sabalenka and Swiatek also in the wings

Elena Rybakina (Credits: Axios)

Elena Rybakina is seeded No. 3 in the 2023 Wimbledon and will be facing Shelby Rogers in the first round. Rogers has previously defeated Elena twice in their five past meetings. Shelby has seven top-10 wins. In the second round, she could face the 33-year-old Frenchwoman Alize Cornet, who has 25 wins over the top 10 players, including world No. 1 Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon in 2022.

She revealed how she had absolutely no expectations to win Wimbledon and how she feels about defending the title this year. She said, “I was watching Wimbledon on TV as a child, I always liked the traditions of strawberry and champagne, but I never thought I would even compete there, let alone win it. It was such an amazing feeling to hold the trophy and to see my name on the board with all the legends. I still can’t believe it sometimes.”

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Tough road ahead for Elena Rybakina

Elena Rybakina (Image via CNN)
Elena Rybakina (Image via CNN)

After winning Wimbledon last year, defeating Ons Jabeur in the finals with a score of 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, she is back this year to defend her title. She has a tough road ahead of her as she will be facing Rogers, who has defeated her twice already in their five-time meeting. She will potentially be facing Iga in the finals of this year’s Wimbledon, and this time she might face last year’s runner-up early on in the quarterfinals.

Elena has been having a good run in 2023, as she won the Italian Open in Rome and gained almost 1000 points. She has also earned €521,754 as prize money. She has also won this year’s Indian Wells, defeating Sabalenka in straight sets with a score of 7-6 (13-11), 6-4, making it her first WTA 1000 title. 

Rybakina’s potential path to her second Wimbledon title is as follows:

  • Round 1 – Shelby Rogers
  • Round 2 – Alize cornet
  • Round 3 – Bernarda Pera (27)
  • Round 4 – Haddad Maia (13)
  • Quarterfinals – Ons Jabeur (6)
  • Semi-finals – Aryna Sabalenka (2)
  • Finals – Iga Swiatek (1)

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