Thursday tennis acca tips: Aryna Sabalenka to retain No 2 ranking with win over Elena Rybakina

Aryna Sabalenka is no doubt lining up a third Madrid Open title but could still drop two rankings places.

Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina headline the action on Thursday at the Caja Magica.

Here we make a selection of picks from upcoming matches on the pro tours to help you assemble your tennis accumulator.

 

ATP Madrid: Taylor Fritz vs Andrey Rublev | Pick: Rublev

WTA Madrid: Elena Rybakina vs Aryna Sabalenka | Pick: Sabalenka

WTA Lleida: Sofia Kenin vs Ashlyn Krueger | Pick: Krueger

WTA Lleida: Emma Navarro vs Elizabeth Mandlik | Pick: Navarro

WTA Saint Malo: Peyton Stearns vs Taylah Preston | Pick: Stearns

WTA Saint Malo: Alize Cornet vs Fiona Ferro | Pick: Cornet

 

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ATP Madrid: Taylor Fritz vs Andrey Rublev

Taylor Fritz probably didn't reckon that his next Masters semi-final would come on clay but he faces world No 8 Andrey Rublev for a place in the final.

Fritz cannot seal a top-ten return this week, even if he lifts the trophy with his maximum reach being a rise to No 11.

Fritz leads Rublev 5-3 in the head-to-head with their last meeting coming at the 2023 Laver Cup.

Rublev has won their only previous meeting on clay which also came in a Masters semi-final when the Russian went on to win the Monte Carlo title in 2023.

 

WTA Madrid: Elena Rybakina vs Aryna Sabalenka

Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka renew their incredible rivalry on the big stage.

Sabalenka found her best level during an emphatic quarter-final win but things were not so simple for Rybakina.

Rybakina struggled through a battle against her Kazakhstan No 2 Yulia Putintseva in the previous round.

Sabalenka leads the head-to-head between these two by 5-3 but this will be the first time they meet on clay.

 

WTA Lleida: Sofia Kenin vs Ashlyn Krueger

Considering their respective rankings it is fair enough to assume that both Sofia Kenin and Ashlyn Krueger are players on the up.

Kenin is a former Grand Slam winner treading a long comeback trail and her current No 60 ranking does her no justice.

Likewise, Krueger is much better than her No 70 estimation in the WTA Rankings.

This will be the first clash between these players at any level and that might help Krueger more than Kenin.

 

WTA Lleida: Emma Navarro vs Elizabeth Mandlik

American compatriots Emma Navarro and Elizabeth Mandlik make for an intriguing match in Lleida.

This will be the first-ever clash between the countrywomen with Navarro the player in form coming into this clash.

Mandlik has had injury concerns this season but will be desperate to improve her 3-6 record this season.

Navarro already has 24 match wins this season, putting her right up there with the best in the world.

 

WTA Saint Malo: Peyton Stearns vs Taylah Preston

Younger players Peyton Stearns and Taylah Preston battle for a spot in the next round in Saint Malo.

Both players snapped losing streaks with their first-round wins but the pressure with be on Stearns in this match.

Stearns has the edge over Preston in experience and will be expected to see off the Australian teenager.

Stearns lost in the first round in Madrid while Preston fell in the first round of qualifying in Spain.

 

WTA Saint Malo: Alize Cornet vs Fiona Ferro

Home hopes Alize Cornet and Fiona Ferro will take each other on in Saint Malo with the former trying to get a win back.

Ferro stunned Cornet in their only previous meeting which came in Lausanne in 2019.

Cornet has reached greater heights in her career than Ferro but will no doubt use the memory of that loss to motivate her to put her compatriot away.

Cornet did not enter Madrid as she would have had to qualify and was last in action in Rouen while Ferro lost her first qualifier in Madrid.