Pegula J. vs Vondrousova M. Preview and Betting Tips

🥎 WTA Singles Wimbledon Predictions

⏰ 11 July 2023 - 20:00 AEST

🌿 Surface - Grass

🏟 Location - London, United Kingdom

Jessica Pegula had never reached the second week of Wimbledon but has now gone all the way to the quarterfinals, completing her slam set. After a three-setter against Lauren Davis, the fourth seed has dismissed unseeded foes Cristina Bucsa, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, and Lesia Tsurenko in straight sets.

The American has been a late bloomer on grass courts and did not score her first career win until 2021 in Berlin. She has since played a couple of quarterfinals on the surface, in Berlin in 2021 and Eastbourne a week ago, but was denied a semifinal by Victoria Azarenka and Coco Gauff, respectively.

She is considered one of the most consistent players since the pandemic and has acquired 11 semifinals since the start of 2021 (seven at WTA 1000 level). For all the talk of consistency, however, the 29-year-old has won only one title in almost four years: the Guadalajara WTA 1000 in October.

The world No. 4, who has made three slam semifinals in doubles, has never done so in singles. She has lost all five quarterfinals, the first one in three sets and the subsequent four in straight sets. In her latest bid at the Australian Open in January, she lost to its former champion Victoria Azarenka, 6-4, 6-1.

Marketa Vondrousova has scripted four impressive wins to secure her second-ever grand slam quarterfinal. She moved past Peyton Stearns, 12th seed Veronika Kudermetova, and 20th seed Donna Vekic in straight sets, while having to rally against compatriot Marie Bouzkova, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, in the last-16.

Until three weeks ago, the 24-year-old held a 2-10 career record on grass courts, including 1-4 at Wimbledon. She had to skip the surface altogether last year due to a six-month hiatus. Her first bit of success on grass came in Berlin where she benefited from a retirement to post her maiden quarterfinal.

The Czech was eventually denied a place in the semifinal of the German event by Maria Sakkari, 7-6, 6-1. She continues to seek new ground to break on grass courts in a resurgent season which includes a semifinal in Linz, a quarterfinal in Adelaide, and last-16 finishes in Indian Wells, Miami, and Rome.

It was 2019 Roland-Garros when she made it this far into a major the one and only time. A few weeks from turning 20 at that time, she proceeded to reach the final in Paris without losing a set as an unseeded player but lost the championship round to Ashleigh Barty, 6-1, 6-3, in an underwhelming 70 minutes.

📋 Head-to-head: 0-0. Marketa Vondrousova is only the ninth left-handed woman in the open era to join the SW19 quarterfinals, walking in the recent footsteps of compatriots Petra Kvitova and Lucie Safarova. The last time an American met a Czech in the Wimbledon quarters, Serena Williams beat Petra Kvitova in 2012.