Zarina Diyas vs Elena Rybakina – First Round – Preview & Prediction | 2022 Australian Open
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THE FACTS
When is Zarina Diyas vs Elena Rybakina on and what time does it start? Zarina Diyas vs Elena Rybakina will take place on Tuesday 18th January, 2022 – not before 02:00 (UK)
Where is Zarina Diyas vs Elena Rybakina taking place? Zarina Diyas vs Elena Rybakina will take place at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia
What surface is Zarina Diyas vs Elena Rybakina being played on? Zarina Diyas vs Elena Rybakina will take place on an outdoor hard court
Where can I get tickets for Zarina Diyas vs Elena Rybakina? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Zarina Diyas vs Elena Rybakina
What channel is Zarina Diyas vs Elena Rybakina on in the UK? Zarina Diyas vs Elena Rybakina will be televised live on Eurosport
Where can I stream Zarina Diyas vs Elena Rybakina in the UK? Eurosport subscribers can stream Zarina Diyas vs Elena Rybakina live on their website, while Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match live on Sky Go
THE LOWDOWN
ZARINA DIYAS
28-year-old Zarina Diyas set a career-high WTA world ranking of 31st back in 2015 and she won her only WTA title to date two years later at the Japan Women’s Open. The Kazakh has previously reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon on two occasions, 2014 and 2015, to set her best showing at a Grand Slam.
ELENA RYBAKINA
World number 12 Elena Rybakina is on a serious rise now and she should be considered a genuine dark horse for the Australian Open after finishing runner-up to Ash Barty at Adelaide 1 two weeks ago. The 22-year-old won her two WTA titles to date in 2019 and 2020 but last season was a significant improvement, with a first Grand Slam quarter-final reached at Roland-Garros and a round of 16 exit at Wimbledon. The Kazakh just missed out on a medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games too with a three-set defeat to Elina Svitolina in the Bronze Medal match.
THE PREDICTION
An all-Kazakh first round match here is likely to be almost one-way traffic in favour of world number 12 Elena Rybakina here if her straight-sets dismissal of Emma Raducanu last week was anything to go by. The 22-year-old has the skill-set to perform exceptionally well across the Grand Slams but the Australian Open could well have come at exactly the right time for a stunning run this campaign. Diyas has not played a tour-level match since October and that is likely to show against a serve as powerful as Rybakina’s. Take the younger Kazakh to win in straight sets here.
