By Rohit
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Match DetailsFixture: (8) Elena Rybakina vs Eva LysDate: September 28, 2025Tournament: China OpenRound: Third Round (Round of 32)Venue: National Tennis Center, Beijing, ChinaCategory: WTA 1000Surface: HardPrize Money: $8,963,700Live Telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Sky Sports | Canada – TSNElena Rybakina vs Eva Lys previewElena Rybakina at the China Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina will take on Eva Lys in the third round of the China Open 2025.Following a first-round bye, Rybakina kicked off her run in Beijing against Caty McNally. The Kazakh was on the backfoot for most of the opening set but staged an impressive turnaround. She stopped her younger rival from serving out the set and fended off three set points, reeling off four games on the trot to snatch the set.McNally didn’t waste any time in getting back on track after fumbling the opening set. A single break of serve was all she needed to turn the tide in her favor to capture the second set. Rybakina drew first blood in the third set to go 3-0 up, and maintained an iron grip on her headstart to record a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 win.Lys handed Zhang Ruien a 6-1, 6-0 beatdown to set up a second-round date with 32nd seed Iva Jovic, who recently won the Guadalajara Open. The German initially squandered her early break advantage but didn’t make the same mistake twice, holding on to her subsequent lead to take the set.Leads were exchanged multiple times in the second set with seven breaks of serve in all. Jovic stood tall amidst the chaos to claim the set. The latter was on the cusp of victory after going 5-2 up in the decider. However, Lys turned the match on its head by going on a five-game run to register a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 win.Elena Rybakina vs Eva Lys head-to-headRybakina leads their rivalry 1-0. She won their previous encounter at the Italian Open 2025 in straight sets.Elena Rybakina vs Eva Lys oddsPlayerMoneylineHandicap BetsTotal GamesElena Rybakina-900+1.5 (-5000)Over 19.5 (-110)Eva Lys+525-1.5 (+775)Under 19.5 (-130)(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)Elena Rybakina vs Eva Lys predictionEva Lys at the China Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)Both players were tested thoroughly in the previous round. Lys looked down and out but made one final push to get over the finish line. However, she threw in 10 double faults during the contest. Giving away freebies of that magnitude against a player of Rybakina’s caliber won’t help her cause.Rybakina was also challenged by McNally but raised her level considerably, especially in the deciding set. She’s a former semifinalist at the China Open, reaching the last four in her only prior appearance at the tournament in 2023.Lys’ journey in Beijing is likely to conclude here. She’s 0-8 against top 10 players in her career, with most of those matches being quite one-sided as well. She has won only one set in her eight losses to them. Rybakina won their previous meeting in straight sets, and given Lys’ woes against the sport’s elite, history is likely to repeat itself.Pick: Elena Rybakina to win in straight sets.
