There's a 14-year age gap in Rakhimova's favor here. That kind of edge in youth is important in the late rounds. While both players have been efficient in making the final, I expect Rakhimova to have more energy if the final itself is a long match. Also, Rakhimova played tight against Iga Swiatek in the US Open first round, losing 4-6, 6- 7. That's an impressive line score against the World No. 1, to only lose by the minimum spread in the tiebreaker. Rakhimova also took a set off of Sabalenka at WTA Washington not too long ago with a 5-7, 6-4, 4-6 loss. Rakhimova looks like a little bit of a late bloomer at 23 and ranked 94th but I would expect her to be in the Top 60 soon, maybe even before the end of the season. There's a fair chance that Rakhimova will be a very good player in the next year.
