World number 33 Donna Vekic will be up against the experienced, 65th-ranked Kaia Kanepi in the second round of the 2021 Australian Open on Saturday, February 13, with the match likely to begin at around 11 am local time (12 noon BST or 7 pm Eastern Time previous day). Get the live streaming options of this Donna Vekic v Kaia Kanepi match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Donna Vekic v Kaia Kanepi Head to Head
There has only been one match played between these two players before this and Vekic had won that 2019 US Open second round tie en route the best ever Grand Slam performance of her career.
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Vekic Getting into Her Rhythm
It has taken the Croat a while but back to back wins here at the Australian Open have taken some time coming. Since her return to tennis following the pandemic break last season, Vekic had won just three of her 11 matches, which included a couple of defeats earlier this season at Abu Dhabi and Melbourne as well.
So much so, her confidence would have taken a major beating having fallen from her career-best ranking of 19th to her current ranking of 33rd, with no respite in sight by the looks of things.
And it’s still some way from making a full comeback but the two-time WTA title winner has shown signs she is climbing back up. A first round win against Wang Yafan was expected but scratchy but the bigger one was against the in-form Nadia Podoroska, who started their second round match as a favourite.
To then defeat the Argentine in straight sets, needing just an hour and two minutes in which she broke her opponent six times – and was broken back twice – would be quite confidence-inducing. And the good news for Vekic is her draw has been laid open by her opponent, who shocked the defending champion Sofia Kenin in the second round.
Can this be a sign the stars are finally alligning yet again for Vekic?
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Kanepi Kills off Kenin Chances
After successive first round exits at the Australian Open over the last couple of seasons, Kanepi has finally made her entry here count. She had started off the tournament with a breezy opening round win over Anastasija Sevastova but it was her win over Kenin that has finally gotten fan to take notice.
In just over an hour, Kanepi registered a 6-3, 6-2 win over the defending champion, with her ability to shut off Kenin at crucial points making all the difference. The biggest example of this was the response to break-points – both got seven of them and while Kanepi converted three, Kenin failed to break her opponent even once.
And in beating Kenin, Kanepi has now registered her 13th 10 against a top-10 player which includes eight at majors. This followed Kanepi stunning Aryna Sabalenka in the leadup tournament in Melbourne last week, making it two big upsets in as many weeks for the 65th-ranked Kanepi.
Can she take another scalp here?
Vekic v Kanepi Prediction and Tip
This is a tough one to call. On the one hand is a player showing signs of returning back to form and on the other is the experience of Kanepi who had lost her way in recent times but shown solid form this year.
Could end up being a fighting three-setter.
Tip: Three sets in the match: 6/4 (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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