Adelaide International 1 2023: Aryna Sabalenka vs Marketa Vondrousova preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match details
Fixture: (2) Aryna Sabalenka vs Marketa Vondrousova.
Date: January 6, 2023.
Tournament: Adelaide International 1.
Round: Quarterfinals.
Venue: Memorial Drive Tennis Centre, Adelaide, Australia.
Category: WTA 500.
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Prize money: $826,837.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Marketa Vondrousova preview
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka and former French Open runner-up Marketa Vondrousova will square off in the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International 1 on Friday.
Sabalenka arrived in Australia on the back of a quiet 2022 season by her lofty standards. The World No. 5 reached the finals at the WTA Finals, Stuttgart and Rosmalen, failing to win a title in any of them. She also reached the semifinals of the US Open, Rome and Cincinnati.
Sabalenka will be eager to right the wrongs this year and make a fresh start to the new season. The former World No. 2 made her intentions clear with a tight 7-6 (8), 7-6 (3) win over the in-form Liudmila Samsonova in the second round at Adelaide on Wednesday.
The two biggest highlights of Vondrousova's career are her runner-up finish at the 2019 French Open and bagging a silver medal in singles for Czech Republic at the Tokyo Olympics. However, inconsistency and physical issues have robbed the southpaw of a chance to build on those achievements.
Vondrousova lost a chunk of the 2022 season due to wrist surgery. She won an ITF $100,000 event on her comeback and made the quarterfinals at the WTA 125 event in Angers.
The 23-year-old is now looking to work her way back into the top echelons of the sport. The World No. 92 began her Adelaide campaign with a three-set win over eighth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. She then backed it up with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Kaia Kanepi to book her spot in the last eight.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Marketa Vondrousova head-to-head
Sabalenka and Vondrousova have met five times already, with the Belarusian holding a slender 3-2 edge in their head-to-head. Their most recent face-off was at the Australian Open last year, where Sabalenka came back from a set down to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Marketa Vondrousova odds
(Odds will be added once they're available)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Marketa Vondrousova prediction
Marketa Vondrousova is the kind of player who can put a hard-hitter like Aryna Sabalenka in a spot of bother with her variety. Not only is the lefty strong from the baseline, she also incorporates deft dropshots and quick changes of pace to throw her opponents off their rhythm.
However, Sabalenka will be coming into this match following an encouraging display against a difficult opponent in Samsonova. The fact that all parts of her game, especially her serve, were working, should give the Belarusian a huge boost of confidence.
She produced 11 aces and landed 71% of her first serves, and broke her opponent thrice in what was an all-round solid performance.
The grueling contest would have prepared Sabalenka mentally for her next battle, which has all the makings of a thriller. Given how sharp the Belarusian looked in her first match of the year, she is expected to come through.
Pick: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets.