Belarus player and the player who has taken fans by storm in recent time, Victoria Azarenka will face Danka Kovinic in the first round of the 2020 French Open with the match to be played on Sunday, September 27. It begins at 11 am local time (10 am BST and 5 am Eastern Time). Get the live streaming options of this Victoria Azarenka v Danka Kovinic match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Victoria Azarenka v Danka Kovinic Head to Head
There has been only one previous match between Azarenka and Kovinic before this and the former world number one had won it easily. Azarenka had defeated Kovinic 6-1, 6-2 in the second round of the 2016 Australian Open, rolling into the quarterfinals before going down to Victoria Azarenka.
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Azarenka Hoping to Bring Hard Court Form on to Clay
While it’s safe to say Azarenka looked at her rasping best even on clay, making it to the quarterfinals of the Italian Open on the back of a stunning 6-0, 6-0 rout of Sofia Kenin, the surface hasn’t been her most preferred.
Azarenka did make it to the semifinal at Roland-Garros in 2013 but the results that have followed that one haven’t been much to write home about. That said, the period seems to have coincided with an overall struggle for Azarenka, both off and on the court which is why there is hope her new-found strength will help her through at Roland-Garros this year.
Because that’s what has been the difference between the Azarenka of the previous few years and this post-pandemic season. She has been hitting them harder without expending as much energy as earlier and that has allowed her to keep her shape right and reduce unforced errors.
Clay poses different questions obviously but with how she went at Rome two weeks ago, there shouldn’t be too many worries for now. Potentially, an easy opener for her in the form of the 73rd-ranked Kovinic.
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Kovinic Loves Her Clay Though…
Yes, Azarenka is in the form of her life but up against her is a player who has done exceedingly well on clay at the lower circuit. Kovinic has made it to 20 finals of tournaments on the WTA circuit and a whopping 19 of them have come on clay.
She has also been a finalist at a WTA $125k competition in Bastad in 2019, also on red dirt. And one of her two WTA tournament finals were on the same surface – at the 2016 Istanbul Cup.
Which is why it’s surprising to then see her not able to convert that potential into performances at the French Open. Kovinic last won a match at the French Open in 2015 and that was the first and the last time she won one there. Over the last two seasons, Kovinic had failed to even qualify for the main draw.
Well, that’s the bad news (other than the fact she is playing Azarenka!). The good news?
Kovinic enters this year’s French Open with a quarterfinal appearance at the Istanbul Cup and another solid run through to the third round in Rome after entering in as a qualifier. In doing so, she defeated Julia Goerges and Belinda Bencic as well.
Can she give Azarenka a run?
Azarenka v Kovinic Prediction and Tip
Azarenka is a whopping 1/8 to win this and given her form and the recent run, who can argue with those odds. Even a straight-set win pays off a mere 2/5 but we could be interested in the games market.
Tip: Under 19.5 games in the match: 8/11 (bet365)
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The French Open 2020 will be played from September 27 to October 11. You can watch & bet on the French Open here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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