Elena Rybakina pinpoints the biggest similarity she shares with Aryna Sabalenka ahead of their match at the Berlin Open

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Elena Rybakina is through to the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open, after defeating Katerina Siniakova in straight sets.

Rybakina was tested by the WTA doubles number one, but ultimately emerged victorious after clinching a second-set tiebreaker.

The former Wimbledon champion lost in the last eight at Queen’s to the eventual champion Tatjana Maria last week, but has bounced back in the German capital, winning her first two matches in Berlin.

After her victory, Rybakina looked ahead to her next opponent, Aryna Sabalenka, who she’ll face for the 11th time in her career.

Elena Rybakina pinpoints the similarity she shares with Aryna Sabalenka

Speaking on court after the match, Rybakina said of Sabalenka: “We both play aggressively, I don’t think either of us like to defend.

“We’ll see how it goes, I’ll definitely try to do my best, and hopefully I can improve my serve a bit for tomorrow.

“It was a tough match [against Siniakova], and I was struggling a bit with the serve – that’s why it was a bit more difficult for me, but I’m happy I managed to win in two sets.

“I had some chances where I knew I need to go for it, especially on the tiebreak, and since I was struggling serving, I was trying to risk a little bit when I had an opportunity, and I’m happy it went my way.”

Elena Rybakina’s record against Aryna Sabalenka

Rybakina and Sabalenka have played each other 10 times, with the head-to-head record currently 6-4 in favour of the Belarusian.

Their first meeting was at the China Open in 2019, where Sabalenka won over three sets to open her account in the rivalry.

The next three clashes between the two also went the way of the world number one, including the 2023 Australian Open final.

Rybakina finally got her first win over Sabalenka at the Indian Wells Open in 2023, and followed it up with another victory against her at the China Open later that year.

Since then, they have swapped victories in their four previous meetings, the last of which was a first-round matchup at the WTA finals, which Rybakina won.