Will Krejcikova also surprise Sabalenka?
Barbora Krejcikova has ended the hype surrounding Mira Andreeva. The world number eleven from the Czech Republic pulled off a surprise in the last round, coming back from 0:1 down to beat the Russian talent 2:1. Barbora Krejcikova now faces a quarter-final showdown against Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open 2024.
As the bookmakers’ quotes show, Krejcikova is the big underdog in the upcoming match. Meanwhile, betting odds of up to 5.70 are on offer for a Krejcikova vs. Sabalenka bet on the Czech, which is by no means surprising after the recent performances of her opponent Sabalenka.
Aryna Sabalenka has dominated at will so far, sweeping opponents such as Seidel, Fruhvirtova, Tsurenko and Anisimova off the court. In these four matches, the Belarusian has not dropped a single set
It is quite possible that the world number two from Belarus will build on this against Krejcikova. The last time the two players met, the high-returning Krejcikova suffered a bitter 2-0 defeat, her third loss in a row in the H2h against Sabalenka. Our Krejcikova vs. Sabalenka prediction is also aimed at the Belarusian this time
Barbora Krejcikova – Statistics & current form
Barbora Krejcikova has actually made it through to the fourth round of the Australian Open 2024. The 28-year-old made a false start in her showdown against Mira Andreeva and lost the first set after just 42 minutes of play. The world number eleven got into the match better in the following round and was particularly convincing with her own service games.
Compared to the first set, in which the Czech only won two out of five service games, she only conceded a single service game in the second set. Consequently, Barbora Krejcikova also equalized the set against the Russian. Krejcikova also took the momentum into the third set and thus booked her quarter-final ticket at the AO 2024.
This is only the second time in her professional career that Krejcikova has reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. The last time the Czech achieved this feat was in 2022. Back then, Barbora Krejcikova lost 2-0 to Madison Keys and missed out on a place in the semi-finals of the 2022 AO as the fourth-ranked player in the world
Does Krejcikova defy Sabalenka’s service game?
In order to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne for the first time ever, the return game in the upcoming match against Aryna Sabalenka will be particularly crucial. The Belarusian has an unpleasant serve that challenges many WTA pros. However, if you take a look at Krejcikova’s recent statistics, the world number eleven will not be hiding.
In the four previous rounds, Barbora Krejcikova had three times a rate above the 40% mark of points won on the return of her opponent’s first serve. However, it should also be noted that Krejcikova has not yet seen an opponent with the caliber of Sabalenka’s serve behind the net.
In the six previous H2hs, Krejcikova has only won once against Sabalenka. Bettors who still want to bet on the underdog in Krejcikova vs. Sabalenka can pick up odds of up to 5.70.
Aryna Sabalenka – Statistics & current form
Aryna Sabalenka is on course for the AO title! The Belarusian is playing the perfect slam so far and has not dropped a single set in the current Major. After the inexperienced Seidel was swept out of the Rod Laver Arena with a score of 6:0 and 6:1 in the first round, Sabalenka’s next displays of power followed in the subsequent rounds.
The world number two also celebrated a clear 2:0 victory against Lesia Tsurenko. Sabalenka did not concede a single game over two sets and thus celebrated a 6:0, 6:0 win against the Ukrainian. This was followed in the fourth round by an unchallenged victory against Amanda Anisimova, in which Aryna Sabalenka underlined her qualities on her own serve in particular.
Over two sets, the Belarusian won 87% of the points on her own first serve and also played six aces. In any case, there has not been a single match at the AO 2024 in which Sabalenka has won fewer than 76% of her points on her first serve. It’s quite possible that the world number two will build on this against Krejcikova
Sabalenka’s next win against Krejcikova on the horizon?
Last year, the two players met four times. Sabalenka came out on top in three of these four encounters and did not lose a set twice. In the last two H2hs in particular, the Belarusian ensured a clear balance of power against her opponent.
After all, 88% of points were won on her own first serve in the 2-0 win at the WTA Stuttgart 2023 and the 2-0 win at the WTA Masters in Miami 2023. It therefore makes sense to make another prediction for Krejcikova vs. Sabalenka, especially as similar statistics can be expected this time.
The only question is probably how many games the defending champion will concede in the quarter-finals.
Barbora Krejcikova – Aryna Sabalenka Direct comparison / H2H record
Barbora Krejcikova and Aryna Sabalenka meet for the seventh time in total. The Belarusian beat Krejcikova in six of the previous seven H2Hs. Sabalenka has not lost a set in three matches, including the last two H2hs. A 2:0 win is by no means out of the question this time either
Barbora Krejcikova – Aryna Sabalenka tip
With her comeback against Mira Andreeva in the last round, Barbora Krejcikova ended the hype surrounding the Russian talent and advanced to the quarter-finals of the AO for the second time in the last two years. Now the world number eleven from the Czech Republic will face the defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, who has played a tremendous Grand Slam so far.
Not only has the Belarusian not lost a single set, she has dominated her opponents at will. Players such as Tsurenko have also come under pressure and suffered a clear 0:2 defeat (0:6, 0:6) without a chance. Sabalenka is likely to continue this winning streak against Krejcikova
We expect a one-sided quarter-final in favor of the Belarusian and tend to bet on under 20.5 games for Krejcikova vs Sabalenka. We are betting six out of ten possible units for this.
