Eastbourne 2022: Petra Kvitova vs Donna Vekic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds & pick | Rothesay International
Match Details
Fixture: (14) Petra Kvitova vs (Q) Donna Vekic
Date: 22 June 2022
Tournament: Rothesay International Eastbourne 2022
Round: Second round (Round of 32)
Venue: Eastbourne, United Kingdom
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Grass
Prize money: $757,900
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Petra Kvitova vs Donna Vekic preview
Petra Kvitova will take on Donna Vekic in her opening match at the 2022 Rothesay International Eastbourne on Tuesday.
Kvitova has come into the tournament with no wins on grass since Bad Homburg last year. The Czech suffered a first-round defeat against eventual champion Beatriz Haddad Maia in Birmingham in her only previous showing on the surface this year.
The two-time Wimbledon champion, however, definitely possesses a game that is well suited to grass, having won Wimbledon twice. She will be looking to put up a strong showing here and build some momentum in the lead-up to the Championships.
Vekic, meanwhile, will enter the contest having already scored three wins this week. The Croat bested Alicia Dudeney and Yuriko Miyazaki in the qualification rounds, before streamrolling past Dayana Yastremska in her opening main draw encounter.
On the comeback trail, Vekic has now won seven of her last eight matches on grass. She also reached the quarterfinals in Birmingham as a qualifier last week.
Petra Kvitova vs Donna Vekic head-to-head
Kvitova leads Vekic in their current head-to-head 2-1. The Czech won their latest meeting, which came at the 2019 Miami Open, in three sets.
Petra Kvitova vs Donna Vekic odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM
Petra Kvitova vs Donna Vekic prediction
Both the Czech and the Croat enjoy playing on quicker surfaces and possess similarly power-packed games. For the 14th seed, however, the main focus will be on finding her own range.
Kvitova turned in an error-strewn performance against Haddad Maia in Birmingham last week, posting a high number of unforced errors. Her serve and forehand were particularly inconsistent and she will look to improve in those areas.
The Czech is unlikely to change her overall strategy significantly and will step out looking to be the aggressor. Vekic, much like her opponent, likes to take the ball early, but has had her fair share of struggles against players who possess more firepower than her.
The Croat is prone to leaking a fair few errors when made to rush and that is exactly what Kvitova will look to do. The first set will be crucial for the 14th seed and winning it will help calm the nerves that come with not having won a match on her favored surface in a while. But if she can play with measured aggression and not leak too many errors, the Czech should be able to post a win on Tuesday.
Prediction: Kvitova to win two tight sets