UK: 18+ USA: 21+ | Begambleaware.org | T&Cs apply | Play Responsibly
Fifth seed, Belarussian Aryna Sabalenka, takes on America’s Shelby Rogers, six years her senior, in this Australian Open second round clash on Thursday.
These odds from Ladbrokes were correct at the time of writing.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Shelby Rogers – Match Predictions
Contents
Sabalenka, one of the Australian Open favourites, dropped only five games in her first round win. Rogers lost only seven games as she knocked out Arianne Hartono. Both will be high on confidence coming into this clash.
Shelby Rogers to Win a Set – No
The first time these two players met, Shelby Rogers lost the final set 6-0 but we expect her to be far more competitive in this match. Whether or not she can turn that competitiveness into a set win is another matter. We are predicting two closely contested sets but with Sabalenka, who we expect to progress into the second week of the tournament, taking both of them.
Set 1 Total Games – Over 10.5
The average number of total games in the first set of matches between Sabalenka and Rogers is 11.5. After their opening round dominant victories, we anticipate both players to come out playing a high standard and do not expect either player to run away with the set. It would be no surprise if the first set goes all the way to a tie-break.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Shelby Rogers Preview
So how have these players got on during previous years? Let’s zoom in on the Grand Slam highs, earnings and WTA title records.
Aryna Sabalenka
The world number five has earnt over $12,000,000 across her career which has seen her win 11 WTA singles titles. The right-handed 24 year old has reached the semi-final of the last two US Opens and also got to the same stage at Wimbledon in 2021. She has never gone beyond the fourth round here in Melbourne.
Shelby Rogers
Ranked 51st in the world, the 30 year old American reached her highest ranking of 30 in August of last year. She is still looking for her first title on the WTA Tour and has reached two Grand Slam quarter finals (2016 French Open, 2020 US Open). Her best performance at the Australian Open came in 2021 when she reached the fourth round.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Shelby Rogers Head to Head
This will be the third time these two players meet and Rogers is still waiting for her first victory. Sabalenka leads 2-0 and won both contests in 2022 with a straight sets win in S’Hertogenbosch and a three-setter in Cincinnati.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Shelby Rogers Match Details
- When will the match start? The match will start at 00:00 am GMT on Thursday, January 19th.
- On which court will the match be played? The match will be played on the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.
- Where to watch AO 2023 in UK? You can watch the Australian Open on Eurosport broadcast and online, or stream it on Discovery +.
Subscribe to Punditfeed on Google News for all the latest updates from the world of sports!