Sabalenka in straight sets
What a matchup we have here folks, Aryna Sabalenka, the top seed, against the 6th seed Victoria Azarenka. Can you smell that? That's the aroma of a scintillating belarusian standoff we've got on our hands.
Now let's break this down. Azarenka has been gallivanting around the tennis scene with some impressive recent bouts under her belt. However, no dish at the buffet is completely commando. She's been roughed up a few times, most notably by Kalinskaya and Rybakina. That introduces a dash of turmoil into her soup mix.
Meanwhile, Sabalenka is not just wearing the tiara of first place for show, she's got the spellbinding game to match the dazzle. On her recent tour of duty, she's dispatched Kalinskaya and Rakhimova while treating us to a prime display of her tennis wizardry. There's a slight smudge on her radiant form where Andreeva got the better of her.
Here's how I see this rendezvous; when it's cocktail hour and the hors d'oeuvres are served, I'd put my chips on the top seeded vixen, Sabalenka.
Albert's Prediction: Sabalenka in straight sets