"I have nothing to lose" - Marketa Vondrousova cautiously optimistic about taking on red-hot Iga Swiatek in French Open QF
Marketa Vondrousova has sealed her spot in the quarterfinals of the 2024 French Open after a comfortable win in the fourth round. The Czech will compete against two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek for a semifinal berth.
Vondrousova faced Olga Danilovic in the fourth round of the 2024 French Open on May 1. Danilovic was playing her maiden fourth-round match at a Grand Slam, and she was off the blocks quickly, breaking Vondrousova in her first service game. But the fifth seed wasn't down for long; she broke Danilovic back twice to take the first set.
Vondrousova got more comfortable in the second set, and another two breaks of Danilovic's serve were enough to hand the reigning Wimbledon champion a 6-4, 6-2 win and place into her second French Open quarterfinal, where she will face top seed, Iga Swiatek.
In her post-match press conference after her fourth-round match, Marketa Vondrousova, who reached the French Open final in 2019, was asked about her thoughts on her quarterfinal match against the best player in the world. The Czech No. 1 appeared cautiously optimistic about her prospect against an in-form Iga Swiatek, who dispatched her fourth-round opponent Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0 in 40 minutes.
Vondrousova also noted that her previous matches against the Pole have been on hard courts, and she hopes to play more freely in the quarterfinal contest.
"Yeah, we played a couple of matches, you know, on on the hard court. But, , yeah, obviously, you know, she's feeling great. You know, she won 6-0, 6-0 today, so I expect, in a way, that much, but, , now, I'm in position. I have nothing to lose, you know? So I'm just gonna go and try to enjoy the match and, , you know, just, try to maybe play a good match," Marketa Vondrousova said.
Iga Swiatek has won all her matches against Marketa Vondrousova
If Marketa Vondrousova is looking for some inspiration to challenge Iga Swiatek's supremacy on Parisian clay, her head-to-head record against the Pole is certainly not it. Swiatek has won all three contests against Vondrousova - at the 2020 French Open, the 2023 Western & Southern Open, and the 2023 WTA Finals.
Both women will enter the contest after dropping only one set en route to the quarterfinals. Swiatek swept aside Leolia Jeanjean in her first-round match before being given the run of her money in the second round by Naomi Osaka, who was on the brink of ousting the World No. 1. However, Swiatek persevered and went on to down Marie Bouzkova and Anastasia Potapova in her third and fourth round matches.
Meanwhile, Vondrousova began her French Open campaign with a straight-set win against Rebeka Masarova. She was bageled by Katie Volynets in the second round but came back from behind to seal victory. The 24-year-old then made light work of Chloe Paquet and Olga Danilovic in subsequent matches.