🎾 WTA Strasbourg SF: Elena Rybakina vs Beatriz Haddad Maia

🎾 WTA Strasbourg SF: Elena Rybakina vs Beatriz Haddad Maia – Match Preview

🧠 Form & Context

🇰🇿 Elena Rybakina
🎯 Clay comeback: After early exits in Madrid and Rome, she’s found her rhythm in Strasbourg.
🔥 Flawless so far: Wins over Wang and Linette without facing a break point.
🏆 Proven on clay: Rome 2023 champion and Stuttgart 2024 winner. This is her fifth clay semifinal since 2023.
📉 Finals drought: Hasn’t reached a final since Stuttgart last year—4 SF losses since.
🇧🇷 Beatriz Haddad Maia
🆘 Season revival: Entered with a 3–14 record in 2025 but has flipped the script with 3 comeback wins.
⏱️ Time on court: Over 8 hours played in 3 matches, including a 3-hour comeback vs Navarro.
💔 SF wall: 0–3 in WTA clay semis, including RG 2023.
📈 Big moment: First semifinal since her title run in Seoul last fall.

🔍 Match Breakdown

Rybakina has quietly steamrolled her way through the draw—serving big, striking clean, and staying composed. Her power game on slow Strasbourg clay has been aided by elevation and quick adjustments. Haddad Maia has been doing it the hard way: saving match points, chasing down leads, and dragging herself through long, physical matches. She thrives on clay when she has time to set up, but her serving under pressure has been shaky. Tactically, Rybakina’s flatter ball and more compact points will test Haddad Maia’s legs, especially after three emotional and exhausting matches. The Kazakh will aim to dictate with her serve and forehand and avoid drawn-out rallies.

🔮 Prediction

Unless Haddad Maia redlines early or Rybakina opens flat, this match heavily favors the world No. 4. The Brazilian has shown amazing resilience, but Rybakina’s sharpness and physical edge should carry her through. 🧩 Prediction: Rybakina in 2 sets — possibly tight early, but her superior firepower and freshness should wear down a fatigued Haddad Maia.