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PREVIEW: WTA Tour – 2021 Chicago Fall Tennis Classic selected Ro32 matches preview

Marketa Vondrousova faces off against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova before Bianca Andreescu and Shelby Rogers clash at the 2021 Chicago Fall Tennis Classic. Damien Kayat previews.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova - Chicago Fall Tennis Classic Preview
Image Copyright - Steve Haag Sports

Marketa Vondrousova faces off against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova before Bianca Andreescu and Shelby Rogers clash at the 2021 Chicago Fall Tennis Classic. Damien Kayat previews.

Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

WTA Tour 2021
WTA 500
Chicago Fall Tennis Classic
Chicago, USA, Hardcourt
Selected Round of 32 Matches- 29th September

Marketa Vondrousova vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (4) *betting tba

This could prove to be a fascinating encounter between two Roland Garros finalists. 2019 French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova is the far younger player at 22 years of age. In the main, she has had a fairly humdrum season. But she then showed her class in Tokyo, winning the Silver Medal in yet another performance that defied expectations. This included an incredible victory over massive hometown heroine Naomi Osaka. The Czech has also looked in pretty decent shape during the last month. She actually reached a quarterfinal in this very state in last month’s Chicago Women’s Open. She also reached the semi-finals of the Luxembourg Open a few weeks back. The lefty is a dangerous competitor on any surface. She absolutely demolished Ajla Tomljanovic in the opening match, showing that she may be coming into her own on harder surfaces.

30-year-old Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is a 12-time WTA Tour winner who has come back to relevance during 2021. A former junior prodigy, Pavlyuchenkova is an all-court player who has perhaps not quite fulfilled her massive potential. Having said that, the Russian has reached the quarterfinals of every individual Grand Slam. That highlights her ability to adapt to multiple surfaces. Much like Vondrousova, Pavlyuchenkova has exactly enjoyed a fairly average campaign on the main. But a couple of wonderful results on clay have seen her rocket up the rankings. She reached the semi-finals in Madrid prior to a herculean run to the final in Paris. She would also go on to reach the 4th round of the US Open, showcasing that she has what it takes to mix it on this surface.

Verdict: Vondrousova to win

This will be the first career meeting between these two. This should boil down to a battle between Pavlyuchenkova’s serve and Vondrousova’s returning ability. The Czech is regularly ranked as one of the best players on tour in return. Her wild varieties and anticipation are legendary. The Russian will look to dictate points with her power on both wings. I’m leaning towards Vondrousova this week. She is in a solid vein of form and I think she could frustrate the Russian.

Bianca Andreescu 73/100 | Shelby Rogers 23/20

The pandemic came at the worst possible time for Bianca Andreescu. You have to feel for many of the younger players whose natural progress was affected by that enforced hiatus. 2019 was a remarkable year for the hard-hitting Canadian. She won two Premier hardcourt events at Indian Wells and the Canadian Open. More importantly, she won her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open. Andreescu became one of the new ‘it’ girls of women’s tennis. But knee surgery hampered the beginning of her 2020 campaign. And then the pandemic intervened. She took a 15-month hiatus from the game before returning at this year’s Aussie Open. Her 2021 campaign has been largely frustrating, no doubt exacerbated by a positive Covid diagnosis in April. She endured embarrassing first-round losses at both the French Open and Wimbledon. But prior to that, she did reach the final of the Miami Open. Last time out she looked slightly more composed, reaching the 4th round of her beloved US Open. It will be interesting to see which Andreescu pitches up this week.

Bianca Andreescu will next face world number 45 Shelby Rogers. Rogers has proven to be a very competitive hardcourt player. She was on fire after the tour returned last season, reaching the semi-finals of the Top Seed Open prior to her 2nd Grand Slam quarterfinal run at Flushing Meadows (she reached the quarterfinals of the 2016 French Open). She has once again showed her hardcourt prowess on the biggest stages this year. She reached the 4th round of both the Aussie Open and US Open. She has shown a real proclivity for taking down the biggest names. She beat Serena Williams at last year’s Top Seed Open. Moreover, she beat World Number One Ashleigh Barty at this year’s US Open. Unfortunately for Rogers, she had to return to court the very next day to take on eventual champion Emma Radacanu. Rogers took down Lizette Cabrera with minimum fuss in her opening match.

Verdict: Rogers to win at 21/20

This will be the first career meeting between these two. I think there’s real value in backing Rogers. As I noted earlier, she has the capacity to take down the bigger names. Andreescu does have the tendency to rack up the unforced errors count.

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