Paris Olympics 2024: Marta Kostyuk vs Donna Vekic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (12) Marta Kostyuk vs (13) Donna Vekic
Date: July 31, 2024
Tournament: Paris Olympics 2024
Round: Quarterfinal
Venue: Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France
Category: Olympics
Surface: Clay
Live Telecast: USA - NBC, Peacock | UK - Eurosport, Discovery+, BBC iPlayer | Canada - CBC Gem, Radio Canada, Tou.tv | India - JioCinema, Sports18
Marta Kostyuk vs Donna Vekic preview
Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk will square off against Croatia's Donna Vekic in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics 2024.
Kostyuk beat New Zealand's Lulu Sun, who recently made the Wimbledon quarterfinals, 6-4, 6-3 in the first round. She secured a 7-6 (3), 6-2 win over France's Clara Burel to set up a third-round match with Greece's Maria Sakkari.
Kostyuk was up 3-0 in the opening set, only to fall behind 5-3. She stopped Sakkari from serving out the set to make it 5-4 but got broken in the next game and lost the set.
The Ukrainian led by a break thrice in the second set but Sakkari fought back to negate her advantage. Nevertheless, Kostyuk managed to come out on top in the ensuing tie-break to take the set.
The final set featured plenty of back-and-forth between the two. Kostyuk overcame a break deficit to lead 3-1 but Sakkari clawed her way back into the match. The Ukrainian secured a break to go 5-3 up but couldn't serve out the match. She then broke her opponent's serve one last time to register a 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 win.
Vekic downed Italy's Lucia Bronzetti 7-5, 6-2, and followed it up with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Canada's Bianca Andreescu. She was up against USA's Coco Gauff in the third round.
Vekic rallied from a break down and saved a set point to force a tie-break, in which she saved another two set points before claiming the set. She went down a break in the second set to trail 2-1 but swept the next five games on the trot for a 7-6 (7), 6-2 win.
Marta Kostyuk vs Donna Vekic head-to-head
Vekic leads Kostyuk 1-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at this year's French Open in straight sets.
Marta Kostyuk vs Donna Vekic odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Marta Kostyuk vs Donna Vekic prediction
Kostyuk started the clay swing on a strong note this year, with a runner-up finish at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. However, she couldn't sustain the momentum and won only one more match on the surface until now.
The Ukrainian seems to have rekindled her love affair with clay in Paris. Her comeback win over Sakkari in the previous round would've boosted her confidence for sure. Vekic was on the back foot on numerous occasions against Gauff but managed to turn the tables on her opponent.
Vekic ousted Kostyuk from the French Open a few weeks ago, and now the two are set to lock horns at the same venue. The Croat is in the midst of a purple patch, having made the Wimbledon semifinals as well. As such, she will be favored to advance further.
Pick: Donna Vekic to win in three sets.