WTA Montreal Semifinal Prediction

The first semifinal of the WTA 1000 in Montreal is set, featuring #9 seed Elena Rybakina against Canadian wild card Victoria Mboko. This should be a compelling clash between an experienced player and a teenage sensation. As always, we at LWOT offer prediction for this match, but which player will advance to the final?

WTA Montreal Semifinal Prediction

Elena Rybakina vs Victoria Mboko

Head-to-Head: Rybakina 1-0 Mboko

Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina achieved the feat of reaching ten WTA 1000 semifinals as she advanced to the semifinals after Marta Kostyuk was forced to retire due to a wrist injury in the second set of their quarterfinal match. Rybakina was far from her best, making a lot of errors and a low first-serve percentage; she must look to improve that in the semifinal. Rybakina’s advantage on serve and experience make her the favorite to reach the final.

18-year-old Victoria Mboko has been the tournament’s breakout star and is into her first Tour-level semifinal. She has dismantled her last two opponents to reach this stage and is riding high on confidence and crowd support. Her fearless tennis has overwhelmed opponents, but Rybakina is a great ball striker and will not give too much time for Mboko to set up her shots.

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These two recently played at the Citi Open in Washington, where Rybakina won in straight sets. However, it was not an easy win, and Mboko held her own. The home-court advantage gives the teenager more of a chance to make this match closer and potentially upset the #9 seed. Rybakina can have lapses in concentration, as seen against Dayana Yastremska, where she hit nine double faults. On the other hand, Mboko has never been to this stage before, so how she handles the situation will be critical. I’m siding with Rybakina in this one, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Canadian pulls off another upset.

Prediction: Rybakina in 3

Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

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