Elena Rybakina vs Kaja Juvan Preview & Prediction | 2026 Australian Open | First Round

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Elena Rybakina begins her Australian Open campaign against Kaja Juvan.

Start date/time:

Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia

Surface: Outdoor hard

How to watch on TV: UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN

How to watch online: UK – discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & Tennis Channel

Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Elena Rybakina vs Kaja Juvan ticket information

Elena Rybakina vs Kaja Juvan prediction

Elena Rybakina ended last season incredibly strongly as she won two her last three events, including the WTA Finals, beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final. The former Wimbledon champion is the number five seed in Melbourne and seen as one of the favourites for a deep run. She competed in Brisbane to start her 2026 campaign but lost in the quarter-finals after a three-set defeat to Karolina Muchova.

She faces Kaja Juvan. She is ranked just inside the top 100 of the world rankings. Juvan attempted to qualify for the main draw in Hobart but lost in the first stage to Caty McNally in straight sets.

They have played each other before and it happened to be in the second-round of this very event three years ago, with Rybakina thrashing Juvan 6-2 6-1. A similar result would not be particularly surprising here, given the ranking disparity between both players and Rybakina’s powerful and aggressive style of play. 

Elena Rybakina vs Kaja Juvan tip: Under 19.5 games