WTA Eastbourne 2021: Elina Svitolina vs Elena Rybakina Preview, Head to Head and Predictions for Viking International

In the second round at the WTA Eastbourne 2021, World No. 5 and the 2nd seeded Elina Svitolina will be up against World No. 21 Elena Rybakina.

Elina Svitolina vs Elena Rybakina : Match Details

Elina Svitolina vs Elena Rybakina : Preview

Elina Svitolina makes a good start to her campaign at the Eastbourne International 2021, winning a crunch encounter against Spaniard Paula Badosa. Svitolina defeated Badosa 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(1) in a match that went for nearly 2.5 hour mark. With this victory she registers her debut win on Grass for the season.

Svitolina came to Eastbourne from the WTA Berlin Open 2021, where she was defeated in the 2nd round after having received a first round bye due to her seeding. She however failed to win her debut match and was defeated in the 2nd round of the competition itself. She will now be looking to redeem herself this week before the 2021 Wimbledon begins in less than a week.

Elena Rybakina registers her 2nd win on Grass this season as she defeats local girl Harriet Dart 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4, winning the match in just under the 2.5 hour mark like Svitolina. Rybakina will now play in her 2nd successive Round of 16 match on Grass as she reached the stage at the Berlin Open as well.

Rybakina had a great run at the 2021 French Open reaching the quarter-finals, surprising a few who didn’t expect her to go this deep in the tournament. She defeated Serena Williams in the 4th round before losing to eventual runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in a thrilling 3-setter match to cap off a rather disappointing season on Clay after a wonderful run at the Roland Garros.

Elina Svitolina vs Elena Rybakina : Head to Head

This will be the duo’s second ever career meeting and first on Grass. They last met at the finals of the 2020 Strasbourg Open where Svitolina won in 3-sets to clinch the trophy. Elina Svitolina leads the head-to-head tie 1-0.

Elina Svitolina vs Elena Rybakina : Prediction

Rybakina is playing in just her 2nd Grass season of her career, after making the surface debut back in 2019. She did find some success reaching the semi-finals of the 2019 S-Hertogenbosch Open where she reached the semi-finals starting from the qualifying rounds. She comes into the match with a career Grass record of 9-3 and an overall season record of 14-11.

Svitolina had a poor start to her Grass career failing to win a single match in her first 3 seasons. She has however transformed her game and for the past 3 Grass season she is in good touch which includes her semi-final run at the 2019 Wimbledon. She enters the match with a career Grass record of 16-19 and an overall season record of 22-11 making her the favourite for this clash.

Prediction: Elina Svitolina to win in 3-sets.

Also Read: WTA Eastbourne 2021: Women’s Singles Draw Preview, Analysis and Predictions for Viking International

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