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Match details
Fixture: (5) Aryna Sabalenka vs Donna Vekic.
Date: January 25, 2023.
Tournament: Australian Open 2023.
Round: Quarterfinals.
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Prize money: A$76,500,000.
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Ten & Sony Liv.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Donna Vekic preview
Fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka will meet her nemesis Donna Vekic in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open 2023 in Melbourne on Wednesday.
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Sabalenka has made a thunderous start to the 2023 season. She came into the Australian Open as one of the overwhelming favorites after claiming her 11th career title at the Adelaide International 1.
The Belarusian juggernaut continues to roll uninterrupted at Melbourne Park and has now booked her place in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the very first time.
The World No. 5 faced Adelaide International 2 champion Belinda Bencic in the Round of 16 on Monday. Deemed a tough opponent, Bencic went ahead in the first set only to eventually fall 7-5, 6-2 to the fifth seed.
Having not conceded a set so far in eight matches this season, the irrepressible Sabalenka will look to continue her momentum when she meets Vekic.
Former World No. 19 Donna Vekic has been to the quarterfinals of the US Open in 2019. The 26-year-old Croat has made it to a total of 10 finals on the tour, winning three.
Her most recent final appearance was in San Diego in October last year. She stormed through the draw, reaching the final from the qualifying stages before losing to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
After a strong finish to the season, Vekic has started 2023 in stellar form. She guided Croatia to the quarterfinals of the United Cup, winning all three of her singles matches in the mixed-team event.
The World No. 64 has now followed that up with a dash to her first-ever quarterfinal at the Australian Open. She has accounted for the likes of 18th seed Liudmila Samsonova and rising star Linda Fruhvirtova along the way.
Her 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 fourth-round win over Fruhvirtova after coming back from a break down in the third set will give her tremendous confidence going forward.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Donna Vekic head-to-head
Vekic has a 5-1 lead in her head-to-head over Sabalenka. Their last meeting was in San Diego in 2022, where Vekic edged the Belarusian 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1.
Sabalenka's only victory over Vekic, a 6-4, 6-3 hammering, came at San Jose in 2019.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Donna Vekic odds
(Odds sourced from Oddschecker)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Donna Vekic prediction
Aryna Sabalenka is the favorite to come through this match by dint of her ranking and current form. However, Donna Vekic has proved to be a tough challenge for her in previous meetings.
Sabalenka finds it difficult to make breakthroughs against flat hitters like the Croatian. Vekic's ability to punctuate the rallies with dropshots and lobs could also throw the 24-year-old off-guard. It was an approach that worked effectively against Linda Fruhvirtova in the Round of 16 as well.
Vekic will continue to test Sabalenka's movement, which isn't one of the strongest elements of the Belarusian's game.
However, the Croat needs to serve well to have any success against Sabalenka this time around. Vekic fell behind by a break in the decider against the inexperienced Fruhvirtova and had to work her way back into the set before securing the win.
A repeat of that will be heavily punished by Sabalenka. The hard-hitting Belarusian has been striking the ball devastatingly well, as evident from the 32 winners she produced against Bencic at the expense of just 18 unforced errors.
Sabalenka has had an improved display on serve this season. She has cut down on her double faults, which were a recurring issue for her last season and has coughed up only 11 so far during her Melbourne Park sojourn.
The World No. 5 is admittedly calmer and believes in herself more. With the form that she is in at the moment, Sabalenka should manage to pull through in this contest.
Pick: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets.
