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Match Details
Fixture: (10) Victoria Azarenka vs (7) Veronika Kudermetova
Date: September 20, 2023
Tournament: Guadalajara Open 2023
Round: Third round (Round of 16)
Venue: Panamerican Tennis Center, Guadalajara, Mexico
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $2,788,468
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video
Victoria Azarenka vs Veronika Kudermetova preview
Two-time Major champion Victoria Azarenka will take on Veronika Kudermetova in the third round of the 2023 Guadalajara Open on Wednesday.
Azarenka handed Robin Montgomery a 6-1, 6-1 beatdown to set up a second-round clash against Dayana Yastremska. The first set was a close affair, but the former World No. 1 sealed it thanks to a single break of serve in her favor.
Azarenka rallied from a break down twice in the second set and even saved a couple of set points. The Belarusian gained the upper hand in the ensuing tie-break to win the match 6-4, 7-6 (5).
Following a bye in the first round, Kudermetova faced former Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard in the second round. The Russian saved four break points at the very start of the match and didn't look back after that. She broke her opponent's serve twice to bag the first set.
Bouchard led by a break twice in the second set but was unable to hold on to the lead. She finally managed to get it together and clinched the set by doing well in the eventual tie-break.
Kudermetova struck first in the deciding set to go 3-1 up, but Bouchard fought back to level the score. The Russian managed to snag another break of serve and maintained the lead this time to score a 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4 victory.
Victoria Azarenka vs Veronika Kudermetova head-to-head
Kudermetova lead Azarenka 2-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2023 Adelaide International 2 in three sets.
Victoria Azarenka vs Veronika Kudermetova odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Victoria Azarenka vs Veronika Kudermetova prediction
Kudermetova needed to dig deep to sneak past an inspired Bouchard. She'll now be aiming to win consecutive matches for the first time since June when she made it to the quarterfinals in Berlin.
Azarenka was also in the same boat as Kudermetova. Her win over Yastremska marked the first time she won back-to-back matches since her fourth-round showing at Wimbledon.
Kudermetova will look to keep her perfect winning record against Azarenka intact. She has the Belarusian figured out, but given her form, she's now in danger of losing to her.
Azarenka will need to clean up her act if she intends to get the better of Kudermetova. She made plenty of errors in the last round and even threw in nine double faults. However, given the Russian's poor string of recent results, the former World No. 1 has a good shot at scoring her first win in this rivalry.
Pick: Victoria Azarenka to win in three sets.
