Wimbledon 2019: Petra Kvitova vs Johanna Konta, Round of 16, Preview and Prediction
Two-time Wimbledon champion, Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova hasn't dropped a single set all week at the Championships thus far and will meet crowd favourite Johanna Konta in her upcoming Round of 16 contest on Centre Court, on day seven of Wimbledon 2019.
The 29-year-old Czech Republic international has looked determined, dominant and ruthless yet serene in her opening three round matches so far and finds herself in the last-16 at SW19 for the first time since winning her second Wimbledon title back in 2014.
Kvitova, who was forced to pull out of the French Open with a left forearm injury, has yet to look in trouble nor lack match sharpness following her return from injury struggles. The number six seed and runner-up at the Australian Open earlier this year, has given us an impression of being a cornered tiger - one that is hungry and motivated to win her third Wimbledon title this year.
The Australian-born British woman Konta, who enjoyed some fabulous form towards the end of the clay season - finalist at Rome and a semi-finalist at Roland Garros - struggled during the warm-up events prior to Wimbledon.
However on her adopted home turf, Konta breezed past her opponents in the opening few rounds before earning a resilient three-set victory over the ninth seed Sloane Stephens on Saturday evening.
In their head-to-head tally, Kvitova leads Konta by a 3-1 margin. On grass, the duo have met twice at Birmingham and Eastbourne with honours being shared as both won one apiece. n their only meeting at the Grand Slam majors, the southpaw Kvitova overcame her British opponent with a 7-5, 6-3 win, coincidentally in the fourth round as well, back at the 2015 US Open.
Out of all the Grand Slam majors, Kvitova has the most successful record at the All England Club and would dearly hope to add another Wimbledon crown. Each victory is a step in the right direction for the experienced Czech woman, who is undoubtedly eyeing a place in the quarter-finals with a tricky test on the horizon.
The home favourite, 19th seed Konta, managed to reach the quarter-finals or beyond at Wimbledon just once in her career to date. After a recovery and convincing finale to her win over Stephens this past weekend, she'll be hoping for more of the same - without dropping a set this time - against Kvitova, not least with the boisterous home support behind her for every point.
A pulsating, engrossing and fascinating contest awaits us, one where the crowd could prove beneficial with Konta's home advantage set to add to the intrigue against one of the world's best.
Prediction: Petra Kvitova to win in three sets