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Australian Open 2021: Hsieh Su-wei vs Marketa Vondrousova preview, head-to-head & prediction

Hsieh Su-Wei

Match details

Fixture: Hsieh Su-wei vs (19) Marketa Vondrousova

Date: 14 February 2021

Tournament: Australian Open 2021

Round: Fourth round (Round of 16)

Venue: Melbourne, Australia

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: AUD 80 million

Live telecast: USA - ESPN / Tennis Channel | India - Sony Six

Hsieh Su-wei vs Marketa Vondrousova preview

Hsieh Su-wei overcame a second-set stumble to beat Italian Sara Errani in an epic third-round encounter at the 2021 Australian Open on Friday. Up next for the Taiwanese is the 19th-seeded Marketa Vondrousova, who beat Sorana Cirstea to advance to the last-16.

Hsieh has been in the fourth round of the Australian Open twice before, but has lost on both occasions. Against Vondrousova, she will be hoping for a reversal of fortunes.

Marketa Vondrousova
Marketa Vondrousova

Vondrousova burst onto the scene in 2019, with a run to the Roland Garros final as a 19-year-old. Since then, however, the youngster has suffered a few setbacks owing to injury troubles and loss of form.

She has still managed to reach the semifinals of a couple of WTA events, but consistency has largely eluded her.

Vondrousova plays a good all-round game. The lefty possesses a solid serve and forehand, but does well to mix things up with the occasional dropshot and slice. She also has a great return of serve, and can really threaten Hsieh in that department.

Hsieh Su-wei vs Marketa Vondrousova head-to-head

Hsieh Su-wei started her year with a win over Marketa Vondrousova
Hsieh Su-wei started her year with a win over Marketa Vondrousova

Hsieh Su-wei started the 2021 season with a straight-sets win over Marketa Vondrousova at Abu Dhabi. That meeting was the first between the two players, so the Taiwanese leads the head-to-head 1-0.

Hsieh Su-wei vs Marketa Vondrousova prediction

Hsieh Su-wei seems to have reached a point in her career where she is enjoying her tennis more than ever. She has looked calm even in the most stressful of situations during her matches, and that has helped her maneuver through some tight situations.

Marketa Vondrousova is likely to put pressure on her with some solid hitting from the baseline. However, Hsieh has been largely successful in dealing with pace so far this week.

In fact, the toughest battle that the Taiwanese has had all week has been against Sara Errani. The Italian plays a game not much different from Hsieh's, relying on guile and crafty shotmaking over brute force.

Vondrousova will need to take a cue from that and not give in to the temptation of hitting big on every ball. She has already fallen victim to Hsieh's masterful redirecting skills once, and will have to be more careful with her shot selection this time around.

Hsieh has looked very sharp in her wins this week. It will take a special effort from Vondrousova to stop her from reaching her first Slam quarterfinal.

Prediction: Hsieh Su-wei to win in three sets.

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