Russia’s 32nd seeded Veronika Kudermetova will have a challenge on her hands when she takes on Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in the first round of the 2021 Australian Open on Monday, February 8, with the match likely to begin at around 10 am local time (11 pm BST or 6 pm Eastern Time previous day). Get the live streaming options of this Veronika Kudermetova v Marta Kostyuk match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Veronika Kudermetova v Marta Kostyuk Head to Head
These two had faced off as recently as the Abu Dhabi Open semifinal where Kudermetova got past Kostyuk 7-6 (8), 6-4.
Also Read:
Kudermetova Coming off a Solid Run at Abu Dhabi
Having had a mixed run in 2020, Kudermetova ended the year ranked 46th in the world – a drop of seven places from her career-best – with a couple of quarterfinals to finish the season.
Earlier this year, Kudermetova looked close to doubling her WTA title count, when she came through to the final at the Abu Dhabi Open. While she lost the title-decider to Aryna Sabalenka, victories over Anett Kontaveit, Paula Badosa, Elina Svitolina and Kostyuk would have given her the confidence she can compete at the highest level.
Interestingly, in the tournament which followed in Melbourne, Kudermetova got off to a quick start with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Heather Watson only to lose to Ann Li in the second despite having gone in at 1/4 to win it. As a sidenote, Li went on to make it to the final before the tournament was cancelled because of the Australian Open.
The question now is whether she can bring the same form from Abu Dhabi to the table while taking on a fast-improving teenager.
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Kostyuk at Career-Best Too
Much like her opponent who is currently ranked at her career-best of 36th, Kostyuk has risen to 78th which is the best she has seen so far. And that has been down to her performance in the same tournament that Kudermetova did well in too – the Abu Dhabi Open.
She made it as far as the semifinal there and the interesting bit is Kostyuk started a favourite in each of the four matches she won despite her relatively low rank – a mark of how well-rated she already is as a player.
At the Grampians Trophy, Kostyuk carved out a neat little 6-0, 6-3 result against Gabriela Dabrowski before falling to the far superior Jennifer Brady in round two.
Kostyuk had shot to fame in 2018 when she made it to the third round of the Australian Open as a 15-year-old with wins over Peng Shuai and Olivia Rogowska. Will 2021 be the year she comes of age?
Kudermetova v Kostyuk Prediction and Tip
This will be a tough one to call, one that could see a battle for a place in the second round. While Kudermetova is a slight favourite (4/6), we could be looking at a tight contest that goes the distance.
Tip: Three sets in the match: 13/8 (bet365)
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The 2021 Australian Open will be played from February 8 to 21. You can watch & bet on the these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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