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Match Details
Fixture: (20) Donna Vekic vs Sloane Stephens
Date: July 6, 2023
Tournament: Wimbledon 2023
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: London, United Kingdom
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Grass
Prize money: £44,700,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | Canada - TSN & RDS | UK - BBC & Eurosport | India - Star Sports
Donna Vekic vs Sloane Stephens preview
World No. 21 Donna Vekic will face off against 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the second round of the 2023 Wimbledon on Thursday.
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Vekic took on Zhang Shuai in the first round here. The two started the match by trading service breaks. However, the Croat upped her level soon enough and bagged four consecutive games to grab the set.
Vekic was the first to strike in the second set as well, snagging a break in the sixth game to go 4-2 up. Zhang had her chances in the next game to get back on serve, but failed to capitalize on the couple of break points she had. The match was over soon after that, with the Croat winning 6-2, 6-3.
Stephens was up against Rebecca Peterson in her opening round contest. The American broke her opponent's serve twice to go 3-0 up in the first set. She gave away one of the breaks, but secured another break of serve to lead 4-1. She then remained in front until the end of the set to claim it.
An early break of serve helped Stephens jump to a 3-1 lead. Peterson fought back to level the score, but the former US Open champion nabbed the next three games to win the match 6-2, 6-3.
Donna Vekic vs Sloane Stephens head-to-head
Vekic leads Stephens 2-1 in the head-to-head. The former won their previous encounter at the 2018 Pan Pacific Open in straight sets.
Donna Vekic vs Sloane Stephens odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Donna Vekic vs Sloane Stephens prediction
Both scored rather comfortable wins to begin their Wimbledon journeys. Vekic won 78% of her first serve points, hitting 23 winners and committing 13 unforced errors. Stephens' serving stats weren't as impressive, and hit a few more errors than winners.
However, Stephens' game on grass is slightly different as she tries to play more aggressively. She'll need to find that sweet spot between playing attacking tennis and defending well. Vekic is in good form at the moment as she made it to the final of the WTA 500 event in Berlin in the lead-up to Wimbledon.
Vekic defeated Stephens at the All England Club back in 2018. Her fast and aggressive brand of tennis works beautifully on grass. Her serve is another asset on the surface and could further sway the tide in her favor.
Stephens is a tough contender to go up against but is rather inconsistent. If she puts her best foot forward, she's certainly capable of winning this bout, but based on their recent results, Vekic is likely to emerge victorious.
Pick: Donna Vekic to win in straight sets.
