Elena Rybakina vs Barbora Krejcikova predictions: Rybakina can edge tight battle

- This will be the first Grand Slam meeting between the two players
- Rybakina has won 16 of her last 17 matches at Wimbledon
- Recommended bet: Elena Rybakina to win 2-1

Seeds have been dropping left, right and centre in the Wimbledon women's draw and there are some surprise faces in the semi-finals.

Elena Rybakina is the highest ranked player left in the competition and she is now the 3/5 favourite to lift the Rosewater Dish on Saturday.

Rybakina, though, needs to defeat an opponent she has never beaten before to make it to the final for a second time.

Both Rybakina and Barbora Krejcikova enjoyed straight-sets victories in the quarter-finals and previous meetings suggest it will be a tight encounter in the last-four.

Since winning the French Open in 2021, Krejcikova has struggled to make an impact on the biggest stage and had never been past the fourth round at SW19 before this year's event.

The 31st seed, who has also been competing in the women's doubles, has already beaten two higher-ranked players to get to the last four.

Rybakina is a former winner at Wimbledon and has built on her quarter-final appearance in Paris and dropped just one set en-route to making the semis.

That lost set came in the second-round victory over Laura Siegemund and since then, the 25-year-old has only conceded nine games in her three matches.

The stats

Krejcikova has the edge in the head-to-head meetings, having won their two previous matches, although the last clash was two years ago.

Both of their previous meetings, at the 2021 Melbourne 500 event and the 2022 Ostrava tournament, went to three sets and Rybakina won the first set in both of the head-to-head encounters.

Both players have dropped just one set on their way to this year's semi-finals.

Rybakina leads the way in the number of WTA Tour events the duo have won, with eight victories to Krejcikova's seven.

Krejcikova has not yet won a grass-court singles tournament, but has won the Wimbledon women's doubles title on two occasions.

Prediction

There may be 28 places separating the two players in the WTA Tour rankings, but they look evenly matched on grass.

Rybakina's 2024 form, though, could prove crucial in Friday's semi-final, with the Kazakh looking to collect a third singles success this year.

Her last tournament title was in Stuttgart in April 2024, while her opponent's last singles success came back in September 2023.

Rybakina can also take advantage of the extra court time in the legs of Krejcikova, who has also been competing in the doubles at SW19.

The Czech star also needed 40 minutes more to see off her quarter-final opponent and fitness can be a key factor at this stage of the tournament.

Back Elena Rybakina to win in 2-1 in sets at 13/5 with LiveScore Bet