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Match Details
Fixture: (21) Donna Vekic vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Date: Monday, January 15, 2024
Tournament: Australian Open 2024
Round: First Round (Round of 128)
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hard
Prize money: A$86,500,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN, Tennis Channel | Australia - Nine Network | UK - Eurosport | India and Indian Subcontinent - Sony Sports Network
Donna Vekic vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova preview
Croatian Donna Vekic will kick off her 2024 Australian Open campaign against Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in what could prove to be a tightly contested first-round encounter.
World No. 25 Vekic began her new season representing Croatia at the United Cup. She remained unbeaten in the group stage despite Croatia not going through, with straight-set wins over Malene Helgo and Arantxa Rus. She lost in both her doubles rubbers in match tiebreaks alongside compatriot Ivan Dodig, ultimately sealing Croatia's exit.
Vekic equaled her best record yet at a Grand Slam last year at the Australian Open, reaching the quarterfinals. She won her fourth WTA title in Mexico and climbed back into the top 25 in the WTA rankings.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova meanwhile began the new season at the ASB Classic in Auckland, losing in the first round to Amanda Anisimova. She also participated in the Adelaide International earlier this week. Making it out of the qualifiers successfully, Pavlyuchenkova stunned fifth seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the first round. She defeated Katerina Siniakova in a tight three-setter in the second round, but ultimately lost to second seed Jessica Pegula in the quarters.
Pavlyuchenkova will look to improve on her last year first round finish at the Australian Open.
Donna Vekic vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova head-to-head
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has won the only encounter between the pair, beating Vekic at the Tokyo Open last year in straight sets 6-1, 6-1. Their current head-to-head stands at 1-0 in favor of the Russian.
Donna Vekic vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova odds
(Odds to be updated once added)
Donna Vekic vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova prediction
Donna Vekic and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova head into the Australian Open riding on the back of a couple of good wins to start the season.
The Russian has played considerably more tennis than the Croatian this season having come through the qualifiers in Adelaide, which might ultimately give Vekic an edge in terms of fitness.
Both players are popular for their aggressive baseline game and powerful strokes, and their contest could ultimately boil down to who can dictate the rallies better from the baseline. They will both also look to capitalize on their serves and keep points short in the searing Melbourne heat.
Wildly inconsistent at times, both Vekic and Pavlyuchenkova will need to contain the unforced errors if they are to end up winning.
Pick: Donna Vekic to win in three sets.
