Belgian tennis player Greet Minnen is struggling this season, yet she maintains a top-100 ranking, allowing her entry into the main draw of Roland Garros. On clay this year, she played 10 matches, winning only four. Her latest appearance in Paris ended in a defeat to Diana Shnayder with scores of 4-6, 3-6. Previous tournaments also didn't bring her success, including matches in Madrid and Rome, where she lost in the first rounds.
Minnen's form continues to raise concerns, especially her performances on clay, where she regularly lost without winning a single set in the matches leading up to Roland Garros. Her game is characterized by a high number of unforced errors and poor execution of points, significantly reducing her chances of success against high-calibre opponents.
This clay season has been discouraging for Greet Minnen. During the last five tournaments, starting in April, she failed to show significant results, even considering her current ranking. Her low effectiveness on clay and the lack of victories against top-100 players only confirm the difficulties Minnen faces this season. Considering her first-round opponent at the French Open, the likelihood of her early exit remains high.
Representing Kazakhstan, Elena Rybakina has been showing impressive results in recent years. This year, she has already claimed a victory on the clay court of Stuttgart and reached the semi-finals in Madrid, where her only defeat came from Sabalenka with a score of 1-2 in sets. However, health issues prevented her from participating in Rome, which might have helped conserve energy for the upcoming competitions at Roland Garros, where Rybakina aims to surpass her previous best result— the third round of the tournament.
Recently, Rybakina has solidified her position among the top players in the world, achieving an impressive 8-1 record on clay courts this season. Her game is marked by a powerful serve and effective returns, often allowing her to break her opponents' serve. Elena has also shown exceptional skills in head-to-head encounters, consistently defeating her opponents, including her last victory over Putintseva with a score of 2-1 in sets in Madrid.
Considering her stable form and significant improvements in clay court play, Rybakina enters the French Open with the goal of overcoming last year's barriers and reaching at least the quarter-finals, a feat she achieved in 2021.
Elena Rybakina has faced Greet Minnen twice before, winning both encounters. The first match took place at the Australian Open on 22 January 2020, where Rybakina won with scores of 6-4, 6-3. The second meeting occurred on 21 September 2020 at the Strasbourg tournament on clay, ending again in Rybakina's victory with scores of 7-5, 6-4.
The Belgian is unlikely to pose a serious challenge to Elena, and Rybakina's power should not allow the match to drag on; I bet on a total of fewer than 18.5 games. I expect a decisive victory from the Kazakhstani tennis player
Comments0