San Diego Open 2022: Karolina Pliskova vs Donna Vekic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: Karolina Pliskova vs (Q) Donna Vekic.
Date: October 12, 2022.
Tournament: San Diego Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Venue: Barnes Tennis Center, San Diego, California, United States.
Category: WTA 500.
Surface: Hardcourt.
Prize money: $757,900.
Match timing: 11:30 am local time, 6:30 pm GMT, 2:30 pm ET, and 12 am IST.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video.
Karolina Pliskova vs Donna Vekic preview
Former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova will take on qualifier Donna Vekic in the second round of the 2022 San Diego Open on Wednesday.
Pliskova kicked off her campaign against qualifier Caroline Dolehide in the first round. The Czech looked in danger early on in the opening set as she faced a break point in the third game, but managed to hold serve. She turned the tables on her opponent as she went on a three-game run to go 5-2 up.
She held a set point on Dolehide's serve in the following game, but the American put up quite the resistance and managed to hold serve. Nevertheless, the Czech got the job done in the next game and clinched the first set. The two-time Grand Slam finalist raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set.
Dolehide fought back by winning the next couple of games to make it 3-2. Pliskova still led by a break and didn't squander her advantage completely as she went on to win the match 6-3, 6-4.
Donna Vekic defeated Elizabeth Mandlik and Lauren Davis in the qualifiers to make the main draw cut in San Diego. She faced World No. 7 Maria Sakkari in the first round.
Both players struggled to hold serve in the opening set as there were six breaks of serve in all, with the final one happening at 5-3 when Sakkari served for the set. The set soon went into a tie-break, with Vekic gaining the upper hand to claim the first set.
Vekic jumped to a 5-0 lead in the second set. Sakkari got on board with a hold of serve to make it 5-1. The Greek put up a fight as her opponent served to close out the proceedings, saving a couple of match points first. She even got to a break point, but Vekic held her nerve to win the match 7-6 (3), 6-1.
Karolina Pliskova vs Donna Vekic head-to-head
The two have faced off six times in main draw matches prior to this, with Pliskova having a perfect 6-0 winning record against Vekic. She won their previous encounter at the 2021 Canadian Open in three sets.
Karolina Pliskova vs Donna Vekic odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Karolina Pliskova vs Donna Vekic prediction
Pliskova's serve used to be a massive asset for her, but of late hasn't been working that well. She managed to hit just four aces against Dolehide in the first round, which is a low number compared to her peak. Still, it got the job done.
The Czech will be feeling quite confident about her chances now as she's up against an opponent she has dominated for so long. Vekic played a great match to oust Sakkari, hitting 19 winners compared to 13 unforced errors. However, the Greek has been far from her best and Pliskova, while inconsistent herself, will present a far greater challenge.
This seems like a great opportunity for Vekic to earn her first main draw win over the Czech. But it's tough to overlook their history. Pliskova played at a decent level in the first round. If she's able to maintain the same intensity, she's likely to score another win over Vekic.
Pick: Karolina Pliskova to win in straight sets.