Aryna Sabalenka and Barbora Krejcikova meet Thursday in the Italian Open. Here’s a Krejcikova vs. Sabalenka Prediction. This article will include a Krejcikova vs. Sabalenka pick.
Aryna Sabalenka Betting Preview
Sabalenka is coming off a quarterfinal loss to Hailey Baptiste in Madrid, which ended a 15 match winning streak. You have to go back to the 2025 Australian Open and Doha, the last time Sabalenka has lost back-to-back matches. In the losing effort, Sabalenka won 55 percent of her service points and 46 percent of her return points. Sabalenka was broken 6 times and had 4 double faults. With now four matches on clay under her belt, you should expect a cleaner match. However, it is worth noting that three of her last five matches have gone the distance.
Sabalenka hasn’t lost in the second round of a WTA 1000 since last year’s Qatar Open. Sabalenka has made at least the quarterfinals in three of her last four appearances in the Italian Open.
Barbora Krejcikova Betting Preview
Krejcikova just beat Elsa Jacquemot in straight sets, a match where she won 63 percent of her service points and 44 percent of her return points. It was Krejcikova’s first match since February, as she’d missed the last few months with a thigh injury. Krejcikova moved well in the victory and was aggressive with her shots down the baseline. It will be interesting to see how she looks with a match under her belt.
Krejcikova has made the third round of the Italian Open in both of her appearances. Krejcikova has 15 career wins over top-10 players, but none of those wins have come since 2024. Krejcikova has two career wins against number one players, both coming against Iga Swiatek.
Krejcikova vs. Sabalenka H2H
Sabalenka has won 6 of the 7 matches against Krejcikova. The most recent match was in the 2024 Australian Open. Krejcikova’s only win over Sabalenka came in 2023 Dubai. Three of the seven matches went the distance. Sabalenka won the only clay match in 2023 Stuttgart, which she won in straight sets.
Krejcikova vs. Sabalenka Prediction
When Krejcikova is feeling good, she’s capable of pushing Sabalenka, as history shows. The problem is Krejcikova has just one match under her belt over the last three months. That’s not enough reps to throw her into the lion’s den this quickly. You have to be in a rhythm and at the top of your game to give Sabalenka a run and it’s not fair to ask that of Krejcikova right now. I’ll side with Sabalenka in straight sets.