(Tennis news) 4th in the world Pegula, who was instrumental in Team USA’s victory at the United Cup in January, has continued to be consistent throughout the season. Before the clay season began, she reached the semifinals in Miami and Dubai, the final in Doha, and the Australian Open quarterfinals. The American maintained his impressive play on the clay by reaching the semifinals in Charleston and the quarterfinals in Madrid.
Prior to Wimbledon, Pegula participated in just one grass event at Eastbourne, where she concluded her season in the top eight. The 29-year-old is already in the quarterfinals for the first time in her career after turning up her greatest performance at the London Major.
In four matches, Pegula has only lost one set, which occurred in the opening round against fellow countrywoman Lauren Davis. Pegula has qualified for Wimbledon last eight and has now advanced to the quarterfinals at all four Slam events.
Marketa Vondrousova, on the other hand, is most known for her silver medal victory at the Tokyo Olympics and her runner-up position at the 2019 French Open. The former World No. 1 junior, however, has been unable to capitalise on the remarkable promise she displayed after making the switch to the senior circuit due to injuries, surgery, and a lack of consistency.
After experiencing physical difficulties, the former World No. 14 Czech southpaw has been working to rebuild her career this year. Her best performance in a tournament in 2023 thus far came when she made it to the semifinals in Linz. At the beginning of the season, at the Adelaide International 1, and most recently on grass in Berlin, Vondrousova also advanced to the quarterfinals. It significantly increased her self-confidence, as evidenced by her stunning performance in the third Slam of the year.
Veronika Kudermetova, the 12th seed, and Donna Vekic, the 20th seed, both of whom have reached a grass final this year, were defeated by the 24-year-old on her way to the round of 16.In the fourth round, Vondrousova then played fellow countrywoman and 32nd seed Marie Bouzkova. After giving up her first set of the past two weeks, the southpaw recovered to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time in three sets. Since her historic run to the French Open final in 2019, this is the first time Vondrousova has advanced to the round of eight in a Major.
Head-to-Head
Vondrousova and Pegula have never previously faced off on the tour. Consequently, their match is currently deadlocked at 0-0.
Predictions
Pegula, the higher-ranked player in this matchup, has more consistency and experience, but Vondrousova has the tools to pull off yet another upset.
The hard-hitting baseline game of Pegula may be disrupted by the Czech southpaw’s ability to mix up power bursts with variation and finesse. With her quick speed adjustments and occasional use of the dropshot, Vondrousova has the potential to be quite potent on the low-bouncing grass.
Nevertheless, it might be difficult to put the American on the back foot because she is one of the best and most accurate ball-strikers in the world. Only 54% of the first serves Vondrousova delivered in the opening set against Bouzkova, which she ultimately lost. Despite increasing that number throughout the course of the match, Vondrousova still needs to have a stronger serving performance to succeed against a returner of Pegula’s calibre.
Vondrousova has an excellent chance of reaching her first Wimbledon semifinal if she can get off to a fast start and limit her blunders.
Marketa Vondrousova to win in 3 sets (2-1)
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