San Diego Open 2022: Aryna Sabalenka vs Donna Vekic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (3) Aryna Sabalenka vs (Q) Donna Vekic.

Date: October 14, 2022.

Tournament: San Diego Open 2022.

Round: Quarterfinal.

Venue: Barnes Tennis Center, San Diego, California, United States.

Category: WTA 500.

Surface: Hardcourt.

Prize money: $757,900.

Match timing: 11:30 am local time, 6:30 pm GMT, 2:30 pm ET and 12:00 am IST.

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video.

Aryna Sabalenka vs Donna Vekic preview

Aryna Sabalenka at the 2022 San Diego Open.

World No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka will take on qualifier Donna Vekic in the quarterfinals of the 2022 San Diego Open on Friday.

Following a first-round bye, Sabalenka was up against 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the second round. The American dominated the opening set by breaking her opponent's serve four times en route to claiming it.

Sabalenka snagged an early break in the second set to lead 2-0, but Stephens fought back to make it 2-2. The Belarusian won the next couple of games to go 4-2 up, and broke her opponent's serve once again to clinch the set.

Sabalenka secured a break of serve in the sixth game of the final set to lead 4-2. Stephens held three break points in the following game to get back on serve, but the World No. 5 managed a gutsy hold to extend her lead to 5-2. She broke the American's serve for the final time after that to win the match 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Sabalenka has made it to the quarterfinals for the eighth time this year, compiling a 5-2 record at this stage so far.

With wins over Americans Elizabeth Mandlik and Lauren Davis, Donna Vekic qualified for the main draw in San Diego. She then knocked out World No. 7 Maria Sakkari in the first round to set up a second-round date with Karolina Pliskova.

Vekic got off to a great start as she jumped to a 3-0 lead. Pliskova managed to snag a break to make it 3-1, but the Croat won the next couple of games to go 5-1 up. She lost serve while serving for the set at 5-2, but broke her opponent's serve in the next game to take the set.

The second set was one-way traffic as Vekic bagged the last four games of the match to win 6-3, 6-2. She has now reached her third quarterfinal of the season, but is yet to progress beyond this stage.

Aryna Sabalenka vs Donna Vekic head-to-head

The two have faced off thrice in main draw matches so far, with Vekic leading 2-1 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2021 Olympics in three sets.

Aryna Sabalenka vs Donna Vekic odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Sets
Aryna Sabalenka	-225	+1.5 (-600)	2 sets (-210)
Donna Vekic	+175	-1.5 (+340)	3 sets (+145)

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

Aryna Sabalenka vs Donna Vekic prediction

Sabalenka's serve was once again the cause of her troubles in the previous round. She managed to hit just a solitary ace, which was rather unusual for her. She also won just 37% of her second-serve points and was broken six times. The Belarusian did keep her double faults under control though.

Vekic also faced some trouble on serve in the first set against Pliskova, but it was smooth sailing after that. She'll be feeling quite good about her chances given her record against Sabalenka.

Both players are known to dictate play with their huge groundstrokes, but the Belarusian also displayed some patience by engaging in long rallies with Stephens in the second round. Despite the inconsistencies in her game, Sabalenka has had a rather good season compared to Vekic. The Croat is a challenging opponent, but expect the World No. 5 to get across the finish line in the end.

Pick: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets.

Edited by Nihal Taraporvala