Damien Kayat previews Elena Rybakina vs Sloane Stephens and Coco Gauff vs Marketa Vondrousova in selected round of 16 matches of the National Bank Open on the 10th of August 2023.
2023 WTA Tour
WTA 1000 Series
National Bank Open (Canadian Open)
IGA Stadium, Montreal, Quebec (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Selected Round of 16 matches – 10th August
Elena Rybakina 27/100 | Sloane Stephens 26/10
Kazakh superstar Elena Rybakina showed plenty of grit to fend off a determined Jennifer Brady in their rain-extended Round of 32 clash. She came from a set down to win only her 2nd career match in the Canadian Open (and her first match in Montreal).
Rybakina has fast become one of the most devastating players on the entire tour, taking her place alongside Swiatek and Sabalenka as the new so-called ‘Big Three’. She rose to prominence with that epic run at last year’s Wimbledon Championships. But one Slam does not a great player make (just ask Emma Radacanu).
Fortunately, the Kazakh has enjoyed a stellar 2023 that proves she isn’t some one-hit wonder. She reached her 2nd Grand Slam final in Melbourne- only to be taken down by Aryna Sabalenka. She nearly completed the ’Sunshine Double’, winning the Indian Wells title and reaching the final of the Miami Open.
And she also won her maiden WTA 1000 clay-court event in Rome. Her last outing was a decent quarterfinal showing at Wimbledon and she should be firing on all cylinders this week.
Sloane Stephens benefited from a late withdrawal from Victoria Azarenka to advance to the final 16. And I think you can really apply much of what I said in that preview to this one.
The American has probably not done herself justice with an occasionally lackadaisical approach to training. But the 2017 US Open champion seems to have run into some unusual consistency of late. She reached back-to-back quarterfinals in Mexico and Austin earlier this season.
She then won a morale-boosting WTA 125K event in Saint-Malo. She reached the semi-finals of the Moroccan Open before an encouraging 4th round run at the French Open. She was slightly subdued on grass and suffered a poor defeat to Lauren Davies at last week’s Citi Open. But it would seem that returning to one of her favourite events has galvanized the American.
She reached the semi-final of this event in 2017 and finished runner-up on these courts in 2018. She soundly dispatched of Kalinina in her opening match and she will be going into this the much fresher player.
Verdict: Rybakina to win in three sets – 13/2
This will be the first career meeting between these two. Rybakina will be the aggressor, using her big serve and mammoth groundstrokes to maximum effect.
Stephens is more of a counterpuncher who will use her athleticism to keep the ball in play. Stephens has enjoyed great success in this event and should provide Rybakina with a stern test. But I think Rybakina’s dominant serve will ultimately prove decisive.
Coco Gauff 23/10 | Marketa Vondrousova 67/100
Could this be Coco Gauff’s time to rise to the level of greatness? The 19-year-old American has thrilled fans since emerging on tour as a mere 15-year-old. But she seemed to hit a bit of a mental block over the past year, often crumbling in quarterfinals and semi-finals.
She meekly surrendered the chance of a maiden Grand Slam title with a timid performance in last year’s French Open final. This year has seen her change a lot. She fired Diego Moyano and then hired Pere Riba ahead of Eastbourne. But her decision to hire 61-year-old Brad Gilbert as an assistant coach has paid immediate dividends.
Gilbert- a former coach to Agassi and Murray- was present as Gauff won the biggest title of her career at last week’s Citi Open. She seems more confident on her forehand wing and just seems to be playing with more assurance. She steamrolled past Katie Boulter in her opening match and next up she faces reigning Wimbledon champ Marketa Vondrousova.
Newly-minted Wimbledon champ Marketa Vondrousova is making her first appearance since that breathtaking outing in London. The tattooed lefty certainly likes the big occasion, reaching finals at the 2019 French Open, the 2021 Olympics and this year’s Wimbledon champs.
Those results show her all-court prowess and unpredictability. To be fair, injuries have prevented her from attaining the consistency of some of her contemporaries. Surgery brought a premature end to her 2022 campaign and she struggled in the early portion of this season.
But she has carried her Wimbledon momentum into this tournament with successive straight-sets wins against Sherif and comeback kid Wozniacki. Vondrousova is clearly far more than just a drop-shot specialist. She has an effective, whippy serve and huge amounts of topspin on that forehand wing.
Verdict: Vondrousova to win in three – 34/10
Gauff leads the head-to-head 1-0, defeating the Czech on the Dubai hardcourts in 2021. Gauff brings a five-match unbeaten streak into this while Vondrousova hasn’t lost in nine. Gauff hasn’t dropped a set in those five matches and clearly seems to be playing with more self-belief.
But Vondrousova is the type of tricky opponent who can frustrate Gauff. She will target Gauff’s forehand wing and manoeuvre the American around the court. I really think Vondrousova’s tactical acumen and awkward style could lead her to victory here.
