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Match details
Fixture: (8) Marketa Vondrousova vs Anhelina Kalinina
Tournament: China Open 2023
Round: First round (Round of 64)
Venue: National Tennis Center, Beijing, China
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $8,127,389
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Marketa Vondrousova vs Anhelina Kalinina preview
Reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova will take on Anhelina Kalinina in the first round of the 2023 China Open.
After a string of consistent results throughout the season, Vondrousova captured her maiden Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. It was the Czech's second career title and her first since 2017.
Vondrousova didn't suffer a post-Slam letdown and continued with her good run of form. She made the last eight in Cincinnati, making it the first time she achieved this feat at a WTA 1000 tournament since 2019. The southpaw then made it to the quarterfinals of the US Open as well and will now compete for the first time since then.
Meanwhile, Kalinina's highlight of the season has been a runner-up finish at the Italian Open in May. However, the Ukrainian hasn't won consecutive matches since that tournament.
Following a first-round exit from the US Open, Kalinina participated in the San Diego Open. She ousted Karolina Pliskova in the first round, but lost to Barbora Krejcikova after that. She was defeated in the second round of the Guadalajara Open by Caroline Garcia.
Kalinina then competed in the Pan Pacific Open. She scored a win over Ashlyn Krueger in the first round, who had just won the WTA 250 event in Osaka. However, she was shown the door by Garcia once again in the next round.
Marketa Vondrousova vs Anhelina Kalinina head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them at the WTA level, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Marketa Vondrousova vs Anhelina Kalinina odds
(Odds will be added once they're available)
Marketa Vondrousova vs Anhelina Kalinina prediction
Kalinina has struggled over the last few months and has a 6-9 win-loss record since the start of July. She hasn't been able to back up her run in Rome with some strong results.
Vondrousova, on the other hand, has done the opposite. Winning Wimbledon seems to have elevated her game even further. While she hasn't won anything since then, she has performed well.
Although this will be the first meeting on the WTA tour between them, they've faced off twice before on the ITF circuit. They've split their matches evenly, with Vondrousova claiming their most recent battle last year en route to bagging the title in Shrewsbury.
Vondrousova's variety put Kalinina on the backfoot during their last meeting. Given how they're playing at the moment, the Czech's usual tactics should be more than enough for her to secure the win.
Pick: Marketa Vondrousova to win in straight sets.
