By Tony Fairbairn
- Elena Rybakina [10] v Petra Kvitova [15]
- H2H: Tied at 1-1
MIAMI, USA – Elena Rybakina is looking to complete the Sunshine Double as she takes on Petra Kvitova in the Miami Open final.
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Elena Rybakina [10] v Petra Kvitova [15] H2H & Match Fundamentals
Elena Rybakina has had an impressive start to the season and now the tenth seed is one victory away from the Sunshine Double. Rybakina produced an impressive performance in a statement win over Jessica Pegula as the Kazakh is now establishing herself as the player to beat on the WTA tour this season. Standing in Rybakina’s way is Petra Kvitova who is into her first Miami Open final after an impressive win over Sorana Cirstea.
| Elena Rybakina [10] v Petra Kvitova [15] | H2H: Tied at 1-1 |
| Miami Open 2023 | Miami, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $662,360/$1,262,220 |
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Kvitova has had the easier route to the final while Rybakina had to save match points in her opening couple of rounds to progress to the latter stages of the tournament.
Elena Rybakina [10] route to the final
- R2: Anna Kalinskaya 7-5 4-6 6-3
- R3: Paula Badosa [21] 3-6 7-5 6-3
- R4: Elise Mertens 6-4 6-3
- QF: Martina Trevisan [25] 6-3 6-0
- SF: Jessica Pegula [3] 7-6(3) 6-4
Petra Kvitova [15] route to the final
- R2: Linda Noskova 6-3 6-0
- R3: Donna Vekic [22] 6-4 7-6(3)
- R4: Varvara Gracheva 7-5 7-6(5)
- QF: Ekaterina Alexandrova [18] 6-4 3-6 6-3
- SF: Sorana Cirstea 7-5 6-4
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2023)
| H2H: | Elena Rybakina (WR 7) | Petra Kvitova (WR 12) |
| Tournament Previous Best | R3 (2021, 2022) | QF (2014, 2019, 2022) |
| 1st Serve Return Points Won % | 35.4 | 32.6 |
| Return Points Won % | 43.3 | 41.5 |
| Break Point Conversion % | 41 | 48.4 |
| Break Point Saved % | 64.9 | 60.4 |
| Total Points Won % | 53.4 | 52.1 |
Rybakina dominates most of the statistics heading into this match but the Kazakh will need to be wary of Kvitova’s clinical edge on break points.
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Playing Styles and Prediction
There is no sign of fatigue for Rybakina who has continued her strong start to the year in Miami as this week she has shown her ability to dig in deep and remain resilient. Now Rybakina looks to claim the Sunshine Double after her title win at Indian Wells last week and prove that she is the player to beat on the WTA tour ahead of the clay court season.
After her win over Pegula, Rybakina praised her aggressive game and admitted the final will be a tough match.
“I was playing today better when I was down. Then I think that I was doing everything correct. It was just not enough maybe energy. Maybe I was getting a bit mad when I was down. So I was trying to push myself,” Rybakina told the WTA website.
“I think that I started a bit more aggressive, because also, I knew that if it’s gonna go to the third set, it’s gonna be much more difficult. So I maybe risked a bit more even in the end of the second set.
“Against Petra I played in the beginning of the year, and she played really well, but it was much faster courts there. I think it’s gonna be different if I play against her again, but for sure it’s a lot physically, because here the courts are quite slow, especially after rain. When it’s that humid, it’s not easy.”
In the final Rybakina will face Kvitova who has backed up her quarter-final performance at Indian Wells by reaching the final in Miami. The consistency Kvitova has shown in the last couple of weeks proves that she is capable of competing for Grand Slams as the 15th seed aims for her ninth WTA 1000 title.
After reaching the final, Kvitova expressed her happiness at reaching her maiden Miami final.
“I’m very happy for sure. I waited quite long to be in the final here. I’m happy I made it finally,” Kvitova told the WTA website.
“It was very difficult, so I’m very happy to get through and to have a chance to play the final tomorrow. She’s a big hitter, big server as well. I’m the same. It’s depends really how we are gonna handle the pressure from the opponent.”
Rybakina will look to continue to serve well under pressure while using the forehand to move Kvitova out of the court. Meanwhile Kvitova will look to continue to use her defensive grit from the baseline to set up short balls to hit big winners from.
Both players will look to hit big from the baseline and serve well as this match will come down to consistency and who can be clinical when it matters most. In the end Rybakina’s grit and consistency should give her the edge in what is expected to be a close and entertaining final.
Prediction: Rybakina in three sets.
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