Vondrousova vs Svitolina Odds
| Vondrousova Odds | -135 |
| Svitolina Odds | +110 |
| Over/Under | 22.5 (-115 / -115) |
| Time | How to Watch | Thursday, 8:30 a.m. ET | ESPN |
| Odds via BetMGM. For tips on how to watch Wimbledon, click here. | |
Marketa Vondrousova survived a tough match against No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula, defeating the American 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 to reach the Wimbledon semifinals.
But, how will Vondrousova fare against Elina Svitolina, a player who has balanced offense and defense perfectly at The Championships.
Read on for my preview below!
Vondrousova Continues Impressive Wimbledon Run
The Czeech won 68% of her first serves, but only won 32% of her second serves, getting broken on five occasions in the previous round. On return, Vondrousova won 44% of her return points, breaking serve five times.
It was a topsy-turvy match for her, as Vondrousova's level came and went, particularly from her forehand wing. When she was able to play with controlled aggression from her forehand side, she was dangerous. However, at other times during the match, her forehand was an erratic liability.
Vondrousova started the grass season just 7-12 as a professional, but has acquitted herself well in London this season. She has beaten tough opposition this week, as well, taking down players such as Veronika Kudermetova, Donna Vekic and now Pegula.
The Czech has learned how to better move and absorb pace on the grass. Vondrousova's backhand has been solid and precise. In addition, she has been counterpunching effectively and utilizing variety to keep the ball out of her opponents' strike zones.
It is worth noting, however, that Vondrousova did overuse her variety at times, becoming a bit too predictable in her shot selection and popping up too many slices.
And, as I touched on before, while Vondrousova's forehand can be a weapon to drag her opposition around the court, she can look rushed from that wing at times, mistiming the ball.
The match with Pegula was the first time all tournament that Vondrousova had won under 50% of her second serves. If the Czech wants to advance to the final, she will need to improve upon her second-serve performance in her previous match.
Svitolina on a Dream Run
Svitolina took downWorld No. 1 Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2. Despite winning just 40% of her second serves, she won 82% of her first serves, getting broken three times. In addition, the Ukrainian won 67% of her second-serve returns, breaking on six occasions.
Like Vondrousova, Svitolina was not known for her grass-court craft coming into the match, with a 17-21 professional-record coming into the event. With that said, Svitolina had a lot of grass-court experience coming into the year, and she did make a Wimbledon semifinal in 2019. So, she has shown she can go deep in this event and has experience at this stage in London.
But, Svitolina's game is better-suited for grass than it was in 2019 and throughout her pre-maternity leave career.
The Ukrainian plays with more aggression from the baseline now. This is the case from both her stronger wing, the backhand, and her forehand as well. Svitolina is able to dictate from the baseline more and positions herself close to the baseline.
But, at the same time, Svitolina's anticipation, foot speed and ability to absorb pace are still world-class. When her opponents attempt to take control of rallies, Svitolina can successfully blunt their attacks and counterpunch.
But, that's not just her entire game at this point. Svitolina balances offense and defense very well at this point in her career, with that injection of offense a welcomed addition on the grass.
Vondrousova vs Svitolina Pick
Svitolina is playing at the higher level at Wimbledon this season. She has the anticipation and rally tolerance to absorb Vondrousova's big groundstrokes and not cede much in the way of court positioning. Svitolina also has the foot speed to track down the Czech's shots when she's spreading the court.
In addition, Svitolina is fast enough to retrieve Vondrousova's drop shots, which she employed often against Pegula, and the patience to handle her slices without overhitting.
But, unlike in years past, the Ukrainian has incorporated enough power into her game to legitimately put Vondrousova on defense and dictate baseline play. She can also use this added pace on her groundstrokes to attempt to rush the Czech's forehand.
This is especially the case given that Svitolina can go cross-court from her stronger wing – the backhand – into Vondrousova's lefty forehand.
Pick: Svitolina ML (+110)
