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2023 French Open
Tennis tournament
Third Round
Grand Slam
Roland Garros Stadium
Paris, France
Friday, 2 June 2023
Kamilla Rakhimova will go head to head with world number two Aryna Sabalenka in the
2023 French Open third-round match on June 2.
Previous round
Rakhimova secured her place in this stage by winning against Polish star Magdalena Frech 6-3, 6-4 in a second-round match on May 31.
While Sabalenka overcame a spirited effort by qualifier Iryna Shymanovich in the second round on May 31 with the former prevailing 7-5, 6-2.
French Open record
Rakhimova is making her first-ever appearance in the French Open third round and the Russian star is hoping to stun her much-fancied opponent.
The 21-year-old is an underdog in this match as she is ranked 82nd on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings.
Sabalenka, on the other hand, is making her fourth appearance in the French Open and the Belarusian star has never reached the fourth round.
Ranked second on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings, the experienced tennis star will be confident of defeating lowly ranked Rakhimova.
What was said
“I’m not really happy with my game today,” said Sabalenka, who hit 23 unforced errors compared to 21 winners during her second-round match against Shymanovich.
"I’m going to work a little bit tomorrow and make sure I’m ready for the next round a little bit better than I was today.
“It was a tough match. She played really great tennis and I’m happy that no matter what I was able to fight for every point. I’m happy to get this win.”
Head-to-Head record
This will be the first-ever meeting between Rakhimova and Sabalenka in a professional tournament.
The winner between the two players will take on either Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan or USA's Sloane Stephens in the fourth-round clash.
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