San Diego Open 2022 Final: Iga Swiatek vs Donna Vekic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (1) Iga Swiatek vs (Q) Donna Vekic

Date: October 16, 2022

Tournament: San Diego Open 2022

Round: Final

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

Category: WTA 500

Surface: Hardcourt

Prize money: $757,900

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

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Iga Swiatek vs Donna Vekic preview

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will take on qualifier Donna Vekic in her ninth final of the season at the San Diego Open on Sunday.

Iga Swiatek has reached her third straight final after her triumph at the US Open and a runner-up finish at last week’s Ostrava Open.

In her most recent victory over Pegula in the semifinals in San Diego, the Pole rallied past the American with a three-sets victory. After a clumsy start that saw her lose the opening set 4-6 despite previously having a 4-2 lead, a rain delay helped Swiatek compose herself in the final two sets to settle the score 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. Swiatek overcame Coco Gauff 6-0, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. Whereas, in the Round of 16, Qinwen Zheng was seen off by the 21-year-old 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.

Iga Swiatek will contest her eighth title of the season

Swiatek has had an exemplary year, reaching the peak of the rankings chart and scoring 63 wins against eight losses. She has collected seven titles this year, including two Grand Slams at the French Open and the US Open, four WTA 1000s in Qatar, Indian Wells, Miami, and Rome, as well as one WTA 500 in Stuttgart. Swiatek most recently reached the final of the Ostrava Open where she was defeated by Barbora Krejcikova.

World No. 77 Donna Vekic, meanwhile, has had a disappointing season. The Croat has recorded 23 wins against 18 losses, majorly including various qualifiers as well as Challenger level tournaments. She has also played tournaments on the ITF circuit. The 26-year-old’s only significant results have been reaching the quarterfinals of the Birmingham Classic and more recently at the Tallinn Open.

Her run in San Diego, however, has given her the best result of 2022. Vekic entered the tournament as a qualifier and pulled off upsets over Maria Sakkari 7-6 (3), 6-1, Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-2, Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-1 and most recently Danielle Collins 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (2) in a semifinal encounter that lasted two days, owing to rain delays. With the victory, the Croat will re-enter the top-50 in the rankings.

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Iga Swiatek vs Donna Vekic head-to-head

Swiatek leads head-to-head against Vekic 2-0. The duo locked horns twice in 2020 and the Pole was victorious in both – the third round of the Australian Open 7-5, 6-3 and the first round of the Qatar Open 6-4, 7-5.

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Iga Swiatek vs Donna Vekic odds

(Odds will be updated soon)

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Iga Swiatek vs Donna Vekic prediction

The Croat will look to upset the World No. 1

Swiatek will enter the summit clash as the heavy favorite. The World No. 1’s strength lies in her smooth shot-making as she blasts her shots and produces winners all over the court with much ease. Swiatek’s consistency is unmatched this season and she will try not to give much away in the final encounter.

Vekic, meanwhile, plays an aggressive brand of tennis, and she has tried to earn free points by making big serves. The former World. No. 19 has been dishing out winners and returning well too, and will look to give Swaitek a good fight. However, having had to complete her semifinal encounter just hours ago might factor in as a disadvantage for the Croat. Against a player of such caliber as Iga Swiatek, Vekic is likely to fall short.

Pick: Swiatek to win in three sets.