Elena Rybakina recently parted ways with Goran Ivanisevic, and she was spotted arriving in Abu Dhabi with a new coach. Former Italian tennis player and renowned tennis coach Davide Sanguinetti was seen accompanying Rybakina. Can her new coach bring success to the Kazakhstani camp after a disappointing R4 exit from the 2025 AO? Well, Elena Rybakina is all set to face America’s Katie Volynets in the R16 of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open. Volynets is currently on a three-match winning streak in this tournament. Can she keep her winning run intact or will Rybakina seal the deal within a blink of an eye?

Elena Rybakina vs Katie Volynets: Preview

Elena Rybakina started the 2024 season with a bang! She defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the Brisbane International to kick-start her campaign with a title triumph. After that, her second title triumph came at the Abu Dhabi Open. Although Rybakina reached the final of the Qatar Open and the Miami Open as well, she had to return empty-handed from there. However, Elena Rybakina made a strong comeback at the Stuttgart Open and won her third title of the season by defeating Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final. Rybakina will be entering this contest following her fourth-round exit from the 2025 AO.

However, her opponent in this match, Katie Volynets will be entering this battle following her hard-fought victory against Sonay Kartal (GBR) in the R32. If we take a look at Volynets’ record in the 2024 season, she reached the SF of the Canberra International and also made it to the QF of the Thailand Open. Her first title triumph of the 2024 season came at the WTA 125K Makarska, HR where she defeated Egypt’s Mayar Sherif by 3-6,6-2,6-1. In 2025, she reached the QF of the ASB Classic, but she looked pretty ordinary in Hobart and Melbourne. 

Rybakina vs Volynets: Head-to-Head

Both these players have met each other once in their careers so far. Currently, Elena Rybakina leads the H2H scoreline by a fine margin (1-0) against Katie Volynets.

• 2022 Roland Garros R64: Rybakina 6-4,6-0.

Prediction: Rybakina to win in straight sets

Looking at their performances in the bigger stages last season and their current rankings, it literally looks like a mismatch at the moment. However, we have seen quite a few setbacks in the previous tournaments already in this season. So, surely Katie Volynets has the potential to throw up a major challenge towards the world number 5. If we take a look at the stats, Elena Rybakina had a win-loss record of 43-13 last season, while Katie Volynets (68) had a win-loss record of just 13-17 on the main Tour.

Now, shifting our focus to their playing styles, Katie Volynets is more of a quick-footed counterpunch who can change the pace of the game quite effectively during her matches. Volynets is also a good striker of the ball. Although she’s not a big hitter, she is a really smart player who can mix up her game pretty well. Katie Volynets relies heavily on spin and her athleticism.

Elena Rybakina, on the other hand, is an aggressive baseliner who aims to finish points quickly and whose high-risk game style leads to an accumulation of both winners and unforced errors. Rybakina can generate effortless power, both on groundstrokes and her serve. Her forehand and backhand are both hit flat with relentless depth and speed, allowing her to generate some raw power with both her groundstrokes. Elena Rybankia is also a good server, and she loves to finish points at the net. Considering her vast experience of playing at some of the big matches, we feel it shouldn’t be a big problem for her to seal the deal in this match. However, Rybakina needs to keep a check on the errors, and if she does that, we can expect this match to wrap up pretty quickly.