Aryna Sabalenka faces Emma Navarro in the women’s US Open quarter-finals this Thursday, so we’re bringing you our prediction and betting tip for this specific matchup. It’s a fascinating clash, both in terms of the storylines and tactically.
Navarro delivered a tennis masterclass performance against Sabalenka earlier this year. Can she do it again, or will the Belarusian continue rolling on as she has so far in New York? Let’s see who is the more likely player to end up in the US Open final with our Sabalenka vs Navarro prediction and betting tips.
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Player form: Both on fire
Aryna Sabalenka is on a 10-match winning streak, which tells you all you really need to know. She’s crushed everybody in her path, dropping only one set in those 10 matches. Enough said.
Emma Navarro has been in quite strong form recently as well, but she has been nowhere near as dominating as Sabalenka. She has dropped two sets already at the event, and almost dropped a third against Badosa yesterday.
How the bookies view it: Sabalenka heavily favoured
As expected, bookmaker Betfred is backing Sabalenka heavily because of the red-hot form the 2023 US Open finalist has been in. Even when Sabalenka has faced some really tough opponents, she has simply overwhelmed them. Her matches haven’t even been close, let alone competitive.
She’s priced at 1/4 to win the match, while Navarro is at 3/1 to win.
Recent head-to-head: Tied at 1-1
Sabalenka and Navarro have played two matches this year, and the score is 1-1. They were very interesting matches because, in the first one, the Belarusian was simply outsmarted by Navarro, who used various tricks to keep her guessing in rally play.
Sabalenka had a better idea of what might happen in the second match, and it was a pretty easy win for her in two sets – a trend that informs our Sabalenka vs Navarro prediction today.
Anything else catch the eye?
Navarro will face similar problems to other players in this matchup. It’s the power that gives many players trouble because you just can’t deal with it. Sabalenka is hitting forehands faster than any male player, and that speaks volumes.
The serve will be another problematic area for Navarro because any shorter or weaker serve will be punished. She will need to play the best match of her career to win because that’s how good Sabalenka has been.
It will be tough for her to create any kind of advantage, but she has some tricks up her sleeve, so we’ll see if she can get it done.
Overall it’s just not a great matchup for Navarro as she can get blown off the court. She’s not exactly a power hitter nor speedy either, so all in all, we predict this match will go the way of their most recent clash for Sabalenka.
- Sabalenka 2-0 @ 5/6
- Under 19.5 games @ 7/5
Bren is our resident Kiwi, and has been playing or watching sports down under in New Zealand for the better part of three decades. With 12+ years experience as a professional writer, Bren loves to dive deep into all things sport to bring the best betting analysis and predictions here at Mr Fixits Tips.
