Wimbledon: Aryna Sabalenka vs. Elena Rybakina 7/5/21 Tennis Prediction

Second seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus will face eighteenth seeded Kazakh Elena Rybakina in the Round of 16 at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. The match is scheduled to be played on Monday July 5th, 2021 at 6:00am EST.

Aryna Sabalenka has looked impressive so far here at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships and is on a mission to claim her first Grand Slam title after some impressive seasons on the WTA Tour. Next in her way is eighteenth seeded Elena Rybakina, who has also been playing well here so far. Does she have what it takes to cause the upset over the world number four? Or will Sabalenka get the win and advance to her first ever Grand Slam Quarter-Final?

Aryna Sabalenka is currently ranked #4 on the WTA Tour and is the second seed here at Wimbledon following the withdrawals of Simona Halep and Naomi Osaka. The Belarusian star has been outstanding over the past few seasons, but always seems to falter at the Grand Slams. She will be hoping that this is her tournament, and other than dropping a set to Katie Boulter, has been completely dominant here at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. She plays a relentless attacking game which suits these grass courts perfectly, however can be prone to making numerous unforced errors, something that she will have to keep in check. Her next opponent Elena Rybakina is also an aggressive player, who can be very consistent. Sabalenka has the edge here, but she will have to be very careful, especially on serve.

Elena Rybakina is ranked #20 on the WTA Tour and is the eighteenth seed here at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. She has recently stepped her game up and broke into the top 20 for the first time this year after making the Quarter-Finals at Roland Garros and the Eastbourne Semis. She has also been impressive here at Wimbledon, cruising through the draw without dropping a set. She is a bit more consistent than her next opponent Aryna Sabalenka, although she lacks the firepower needed to truly test the Belarusian. Her best hope will be to target the Sabalenka backhand, and hope that she commits numerous errors. While she is the underdog here, she has a good chance of an upset here.

This will be a very tight match, and I am backing Aryna Sabalenka to finally break the curse and reach her first Grand Slam Quarter-Final. While Elena Rybakina is a formidable player, she does not have the tools needed to hit through her opponent, and I think that the Belarusian is too locked in to falter here. She can be dominant when she gets going, and I expect her to control this match from the baseline. It won’t be easy, but Sabalenka will win here, advancing to the Quarter-Finals here at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships.