Veronika Kudermetova vs Donna Vekic: Veronika's comes in with better form

The US Open is here and the last time we were here, we witnessed one of the most remarkable runs in the US Open. An unseeded and 400+ Ranked Emma Raducanu became the champion out of nowhere. This is the case with the WTA scene that springs up more surprises than the regular results. Can Donna Vekic also spin a surprise as she meets heavyweight Veronika Kudermetova?

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Russian Veronika last played during Cincinnati Masters where she defeated Barbora Krejcikova in the opening round but lost to Ajla Tomljanovic in the Round of 32 in a three-set thriller. That marked the second straight tournament where she lost to Ajla in three sets. Prior to that, she had reached the Semis of Silicon Valley Classic, having defeated Ons Jabeur but losing to Shelby Rogers.During her last Grand Slam, the French Open, Veronica had reached the Quarter-Finals having defeated Paula Badosa and Madison Keys but lost to compatriot Darya Kasatkina.

Veronika has had some solid runs this year but a long Grand Slam run that reaches the Semis is still not in the bag. Her 13-13 record in Grand Slams isn’t the most inspiring one but this year she has done a great job of expanding her success. Kudermetova has been progressing steadily and didn’t come with a flair in the WTA set-up, her improved service game has helped her push forward.

Donna comes into the tournament after having failed to Qualify for the main rounds of the Cincinnati Masters but a loss to Marie Bouzkova is understandable. She did make it to the Main Rounds of the Canadian Open as a lucky loser but was no match for Simona Halep at all. During Wimbledon, she lost to Jessica Pegula in the opening round which was not a surprise at all.

While this year has been tough for Donna, who wasn’t used to entering as a Qualifier, she has still managed to stick around in Grand Slams. She has never made it past the fourth round of a Grand Slam but even reaching that far will be considered a big-time performance at this point. Vekic’s aggressive baseline game has given her success in the past but she hasn’t added variety thus far and struggles to fight it out against versatile players.

Veronika and Donna have met thrice and Vekic have won two out of the three meetings. Veronika won during the last meeting between them in 2020 during Ostrava Open.

Vekic is far from her prime but you never know when a player turns around their career at the professional level. Unlike Donna, Veronika has been a late bloomer but she has hit her peak and has shown that she has consistently improved her game to advance her reserves. Donna beat her twice during her peak but it seems to be Kudermetova’s time now and that is why I back her to win in two sets even if the WTA scene is ever-so-fuzzy.