Indian Wells 2024: Donna Vekic vs Caroline Wozniacki preview, head-to-head & prediction | BNP Paribas Open
Match Details
Fixture: (25) Donna Vekic vs (WC) Caroline Wozniacki
Date: March 8, 2024
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Indian Wells Tennis Garden, California, US
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize Money: $8,995,555
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel/TC Plus | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN/TVA
Donna Vekic vs Caroline Wozniacki preview
After a first-round bye, Donna Vekic will square off against former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the second round of the 2024 BNP Paribas Open.
Vekic was sent home by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round of the Australian Open. She reached her first semifinal of the season at the Linz Open, where she lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova in a close three-set tussle.
Vekic couldn't sustain the momentum as she fell to Katerina Siniakova in the first round of the Qatar Open. She then reached the third round of the Dubai Tennis Championships and knocked out World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka en route to that stage.
Vekic's next tournament was the San Diego Open. She scored wins over Katherine Hui and Marina Stakusic after which she lost to eventual champion Katie Boulter in the quarterfinals.
Wozniacki was up against Zhu Lin in the first round here. She overcame a 2-0 deficit in the first set to go 4-2 up. However, her opponent did the same to level the score.
The set eventually went into a tie-break, with Wozniacki needing multiple set points to capture the set. The match was soon suspended due to the rain. The two returned after a while and played a few points before the day's proceedings were put on hold for good.
When they took to the court the next day, Wozniacki was in the zone from the get-go. She reeled off six straight games to score a 7-6 (6), 6-1 victory, just her second of the year as well.
Donna Vekic vs Caroline Wozniacki head-to-head
Wozniacki leads Vekic 2-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2017 Australian Open in straight sets.
Donna Vekic vs Caroline Wozniacki odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Donna Vekic vs Caroline Wozniacki prediction
Wozniacki struggled a fair bit in the first set against Zhu but following the rain delay, she was a completely different player. Even though she won the match, the Dane needs to beef up her serve as a capable returner who will relentlessly attack her slow serves.
Vekic has been quite inconsistent this year. She'll perform well in one tournament only to make an early exit in her next one. While she lost both of her prior matches against Wozniacki, they haven't played in a long time now. The 33-year-old was in her peak when they faced off before and now she's trying to regain that form.
However, Vekic has performed poorly at Indian Wells throughout her career and has a 3-8 record here. She hasn't won a match here since 2017 and has never made it past the second round. This makes Wozniacki the favorite to come through this clash.
Pick: Caroline Wozniacki to win in three sets.