Two elite names in different phases of their respective careers will clash when Kazakhstan star Elena Rybakina takes on Czechia’s Karolina Pliskova in the first round of the 2024 Australian Open. This could turn out to be the most thrilling fixture in the opening round of the tournament.
Rybakina took her career to the next level in 2023, achieving a career-best World No.3 rank. While she did not win a Grand Slam, she bagged two WTA 1000 titles and finished runner-up in one. She ended the year as World No.4, a sizeable jump from her 2022-end rank of No.22. The Kazakh star began her 2024 season on a similar note, winning the 2024 Brisbane International.
Pliskova, who was a top 10 regular from 2016 to 2021, has been in a downslide in the past couple of years. Repeated injury struggles combined with form issues have seen the former World No.1 fall to No.38. She had a poor start to 2024 with a 1-2 record.
Rybakina, on the other hand, enters the 2024 Australian Open with a 6-1 W/L record for the year. She also leads Pliskova 3-0 on head-to-head. Her season is off to a rampaging start and she will be dreaming of going all the way in Melbourne. Two-time Grand Slam finalist Pliskova, 31, is past her prime and might not have enough tools to bother the 2023 AO finalist much. With immense momentum behind her, The SportsRush predicts Elena Rybakina to win in straight sets.
The duo will face off on Tuesday, January 16, not earlier than 7:00 p.m. local time (3:00 a.m. ET). ESPN and Tennis Channel will stream the match in the United States. The infamous Australian heat is kicking in, as temperatures could touch 30°C with clear skies in Melbourne.
Elena Rybakina vs Karolina Pliskova head-to-head details
Karolina Pliskova and Elena Rybakina have squared off thrice, with the latter emerging victorious each time. They first met at the 2020 Dubai Tennis Championships, where the Czech star was seeded second. However, Rybakina, who had just broken into the top 20, secured a straight-set victory over Pliskova in the quarterfinals.
Their second clash came in the first round of the 2022 Guadalajara Open. Rybakina again came out on top after a match that closely resembled their first meeting. Pliskova put up a stern fight in the first set, taking it to the tiebreaker, before abjectly surrendering in the second.
The pair’s third and latest singles clash happened in the second round of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Open. Rybakina was seeded third this time and comprehensively beat Pliskova to lead 3-0 in their singles head-to-head, all straight-set victories. She is heavily backed to add a fourth such win in the first round of the 2024 Australian Open. Rybakina has been given a kind draw. A potential match against #14 seed Daria Kasatkina in the fourth round could be her biggest test in the early stages.
