Damien Kayat previews Elina Svitolina taking on Marketa Vondrousova in the selected Semi-final of the Wimbledon Championships on the 13th of July 2023.
Elina Svitolina vs Marketa Vondrousova
Wimbledon Championships – Semi-final
Thursday 13 July
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, England
This promises to be a real humdinger between arguably the two most dangerous unseeded players going into this year’s championships (Paula Badosa notwithstanding).
This has been an absolutely dream period for Wimbledon darling Elina Svitolina. She only returned to action in April following maternity leave. But the former World No.3 has taken little time to return to winning tennis. She won her 17th career title in Strasbourg before a brilliant quarterfinal run at the French Open.
And now she has gone one better with an exceptional semi-final run at this year’s championships (matching her semi-final run in 2019). The Ukrainian has had to battle a nightmare draw featuring four Grand Slam champions to get this far. She overcame Venus Williams in straight-sets before a tough duel with Elise Mertens.
She then eased past a revitalized Sofia Kenin before a grueling three-set epic with Azarenka. And she just picked up arguably the biggest scalp of her career by taking down World No.1 Iga Swiatek.
A five-star performance 🌟@ElinaSvitolina defeats the world No.1 Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2 to reach the semi-finals at #Wimbledon once again pic.twitter.com/l6nUu17KHj
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2023
I was blown away by the composure she showed in that Swiatek duel. Having thrown away a 4-1 lead in the 2nd set tiebreak, you half expected the Ukrainian to wilt under the immense pressure of the Pole. But Svitolina showed real grit and composure to take the 3rd set with ease. Svitolina has oft been accused of succumbing to the pressure of Slams. But she has returned to action with a more powerful serve that is helping her dictate matters and bail her out of trouble.
She won a staggering 82% of her first-serve points against Swiatek. She did serve nine double-faults in the match and looked vulnerable on her 2nd delivery. Still, the strides she has made on her serve stand her in good stead going forward.
She is still playing relatively defensively but I do like the way she attacked Swiatek’s 2nd delivery, stepping inside the baseline on several occasions to rip returns. She is receiving massive support as a cheerleader for the Ukrainian cause and it would be something to see her squaring off against Sabalenka in the final.
Elina Svitolina 21/20 | Marketa Vondrousova 74/100
It’s funny how tattoos have become a bit of a thing this year. Sabalenka constantly talks about how she draws power from that rather gaudy tiger tattoo of hers. But nobody can match Marketa Vondrousova in the ink department.
She looks like a punk rock roadie and plays with a similarly anarchic spirit. She has the best drop-shot in the business and uses that to take players out of their comfort zones. It has proven a crucial weapon in destabilizing some of the baseline huggers who hit the ball harder than her (just look at the way she diffused the more powerful Jessica Pegula in their quarterfinal).
A runner-up at the 2019 French Open, Vondrousova has struggled to really fulfill her potential over the past three years (this despite a Silver Medal at the Tokyo Olympics). Injuries have struck at the most inopportune moments for the Czech lefty.
Semi-final secured.
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2023
The emotion pours out as Marketa Vondrousova seals her place in the last four#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/bUrxTupHkq
She was forced to miss the 2nd half of last season due to a wrist surgery and she has taken some time to get back to full fitness. But she has been in inspired form during this year’s championships.
She picked up straight-sets wins over two pre-tournament dark horses (Veronika Kudermetova and Donna Vekic). She had to come from behind in an all-Czech clash with Bouzkova before that scintillating clash with Pegula.
She was actually trailing the American 3-1 in the decider before a mini rain delay. This allowed her to refocus and she ended up winning the last five consecutive matches. With her lefty serve and variety, Vondrousova is really starting to remind me of 2018 champ Angelique Kerber.
Verdict: Vondrousova to win in three at 34/10
Svitolina leads the head-to-head 3-2. But it was Vondrousova who emerged victorious in their biggest match (at the 2021 Olympics). My heart is really pulling for Svitolina and her entire narrative.
But I really have the feeling that the Czech could reach her 2nd Grand Slam final this year. Svitolina has counterpunched brilliantly against the likes of Swiatek and Azarenka. But Vondrousova isn’t going to be giving Svitolina that level of power on a consistent basis.
She will be using the drop-shot to take Svitolina into awkward positions. I was also slightly alarmed by the sheer number of double faults that Svitolina threw in against Swiatek. How will that serve function under the pressure of reaching her first Grand Slam final? I would also be interested in taking the over 22.5 Total Games at 17/20.
