This #FrenchOpen quarterfinal encounter could be said to be both expected and unexpected. Honestly, not many would have pit 31st seed #PetraMartic up against the unseeded #MarketaVondrousova in their draw brackets. But still, do their results really come as a surprise after their strong starts to the year?
Martic and Vondrousova, two familiar foes, will face off in the quarterfinals of #RolandGarros as both players attempt to reach their first career Major semifinal. Martic finally broke the duck and erased the fourth-round curse on her, while the Czech has been so impressive, surging to her first Major quarterfinal without losing a set in the process.
In the first Grand Slam quarterfinal of their respective careers, how will Martic and Vondrousova respond to the pressure?
Road to the quarterfinals: Petra Martic
Martic was the first winner of the tournament, kicking off play on the opening day with a terrific 6-1, 6-2 win over Ons Jabeur in the first round. Playing some clean tennis, the Croatian fired 10 winners to just eight unforced errors to prevail in an hour and three minutes of play.
Going up against local favourite and the resurgent Kristina Mladenovic, a marathon encounter was expected following their classic in Istanbul earlier in April. However, Martic was determined to make it easier this time around, dominating the Frenchwoman 6-2, 6-1 and blasting 22 winners to just nine unforced errors past the erratic Mladenovic, losing just two points behind her second serves.
The draw did not get easier for Martic, but her performances instead got better as the tournament progressed. Second seed Karolina Pliskova was another victim of Martic, being handed an early bath as the 31st seed broke serve on five occasions to seal the straight-sets victory over the world number two.
Into the fourth round, where Martic had fallen so many times previously, the Croatian certainly felt the pressure on Court Philippe Chatrier. Down a set and a break, Martic found life in her game and battled her nerves to stun Kaia Kanepi in three gruelling sets, finally sealing her first Major quarterfinal appearance at the age of 28.
Road to the quarterfinals: Marketa Vondrousova
Vondrousova started her Paris campaign with a solid 6-4, 6-3 win over Wang Yafan, firing 22 winners to just 16 unforced errors as she dominated the points behind her first serves to triumph over the Chinese player, who had not recorded a WTA win on clay this year.
The Czech followed it up with another terrific performance, this time coming against Russian rising star Anastasia Potapova. Despite trailing 1-4 in the opening set, Vondrousova battled back to rattle off 11 consecutive games, claiming the win within just an hour and 11 minutes of action.
Going up against the proficient clay-court player Carla Suarez Navarro, Vondrousova was forced to dig deep and her efforts were rewarded with a straight-sets victory as 23 winners helped her to seal the deal, recording her best result in Paris.
Vondrousova was out to inflict some damage on the top seeds — and she completely outclassed a fatigued 12th seed Anastasija Sevastova in just 59 minutes with a one-sided 6-2, 6-0 scoreline. Controlling the proceedings from start to finish, Vondrousova once again had a positive winner-to-unforced-error ratio as she booked a spot in the quarterfinals.
All her matches took less than 90 minutes to complete, and to be honest, the Czech lefty had not met a player who could truly challenge her yet.
Match Analysis: Martic holds the advantage
Martic leads their one-sided head-to-head record 4-0, with the powerful Vondrousova never being able to defeat her stronger opponent. They met on four occasions within the last 18 months, with the Croatian prevailing in all three of their hard-court meetings in straight sets.
Their most recent meeting came in the final of the Istanbul Cup, where the Czech was the overwhelming favourite for the title. A fatigued Martic experienced a slow start but produced a slow comeback as she ultimately triumphed 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 to take home her first career WTA title. This time, Vondrousova will be looking for revenge on a bigger stage.
Martic obviously comes into the match as the slight favourite considering her dominance over her quarterfinal opponent, but Vondrousova is never one to underestimate. She has not met any real challenge in the tournament, while Martic’s route to the quarterfinals was tough. The Czech had not experienced the high intensity in a match and the 31st seed would definitely pose a tougher challenge than her previous opponents did.
The biggest opponent for Martic would not be Vondrousova — it would be her nerves. Having fallen in the fourth round on four different occasions, it seemed like deja vu when she went down 5-7, 0-2 to a firing Kaia Kanepi on Sunday. Nonetheless, she finally lifted the curse and surged into her maiden Major quarterfinal, but one would wonder if she would face a similar situation on Tuesday as well.
Vondrousova needs to capitalize on the early advantage before Martic has a chance to rise up and work her way back into the game. Martic has been so impressive this week, but Vondrousova has been flawless. In this clash of two underdogs, I will give Martic the edge to reach her first semifinal on Grand Slam level because her ability to fight back has been brilliant.
Prediction: Martic d. Vondrousova in three sets
Comments