Sports Mole provides an in-depth preview of Monday’s fourth-round Wimbledon contest between Elena Rybakina and Anna Kalinskaya.
Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina will be aiming to secure her spot in the quarter-finals of the 2024 competition when she tackles Anna Kalinskaya on Monday.
Rybakina booked her spot in the fourth round of the competition courtesy of a 6-0 6-1 win over Caroline Wozniacki, while Kalinskaya also needed just two sets to beat Liudmila Samsonova last time out.
Match preview
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Rybakina famously won Wimbledon in 2022 – the only Grand Slam of her career – and the 25-year-old will certainly have her eyes on more success at the famous competition this summer.
Currently ranked at number four in the world, Rybakina has not had to break much of a sweat to secure her spot in the fourth round of the competition, easing past Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the first round, before overcoming Laura Siegemund and Wozniacki in round two and three respectively.
Rybakina did drop a set against Siegemund, but she proved to be far too strong for 33-year-old Wozniacki last time out, beating the former world number one 6-0 6-1.
The Russian-born Kazakhstani star is seen as the favourite to win the Wimbledon title for the second time, especially after the elimination of Coco Gauff on Sunday.
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Kalinskaya can certainly take heart from the previous meetings between the two players, though, as both have posted two wins from their four matches.
Only three of those encounters have gone the distance, as Kalinskaya was forced to retire from their last-32 contest in Rome last year in the first set due to injury.
The 25-year-old, who is currently ranked 17th in the world, has also been impressive in the early rounds of Wimbledon, beating Panna Udvardy and Marie Bouzkova in two sets in her first two matches.
Kalinskaya also won in two against Samsonova last time out, but the first set went to a tie break before she won the second 6-2 to secure her spot in the fourth round of the competition.
The Russian is very much viewed as the underdog heading into this encounter, but there is no question that she has the quality to secure a spot in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Tournament so far
Elena Rybakina:
First round: vs. Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3 6-1
Second round: vs. Laura Siegemund 6-3 3-6 6-3
Third round: vs. Caroline Wozniacki 6-0 6-1
Anna Kalinskaya:
First round: vs. Panna Udvardy 6-3 6-2
Second round: vs. Marie Bouzkova 6-4 6-1
Third round: vs. Liudmila Samsonova 7-6[4] 6-2
Head To Head
Playford (2019) – Final: Kalinskaya 6-4 6-4
Miami (2023) – Round of 64: Rybakina 7-5 4-6 6-3
Madrid (2023) – Round of 64: Kalinskaya 7-5 4-6 6-2
Rome (2023) – Round of 32: Rybakina 4-3 (Kalinskaya retired)
The two players have met on four previous occasions, and both have posted two wins each, although Kalinskaya was forced to retire from their last meeting in Rome in the first set due to injury.
As a result, of the matches that were completed, Kalinskaya leads 2-1, with her successes coming in 2019 and 2023 respectively.
We say: Rybakina to win in three sets
This has the potential to be a tricky match for Rybakina, who has lost two of her three matches against Kalinskaya that have gone the distance.
However, we would be surprised if Rybakina was not the player to progress to the next round on Monday.