French Open 2024: Iga Swiatek vs Marketa Vondrousova; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction

Demolition at its peak! This is just a one-line reaction to Iga Swiatek‘s previous match. She took just 40 minutes to register her thumping victory over Russia’s Anastasia Potapova in the fourth round of the 2024 French Open. Next up for her is the world number six, Marketa Vondrousova. Defeating the 2023 Wimbledon champion surely isn’t going to be a cakewalk for the Polish tennis star but if we look at her form this year, we can clearly get an indication about how Swiatek is going to approach this match.

Iga Swiatek has already bagged four titles this season and has reached two semifinals in the other tournaments this year. Getting the quickest victory of her career in her previous match will surely boost up her confidence for the next match. Can Iga Swiatek extend her winning run to 17 matches?

Iga Swiatek vs Marketa Vondrousova: Preview

Iga Swiatek defeated Anastasia Potapova by 6-0,6-0 in the fourth round. With this emphatic victory, she has also marked the second shortest completed match at the French Open. In that match, the Polish tennis star hit three aces but didn’t commit any double faults. Her first-serve win percentage was quite exceptional (94%), and her second-serve win percentage was around 82% against the Russian. She converted six out of her eight breakpoints in that match.

The world number one has hit 59 aces so far this season and has committed 63 double faults. She has won 83.6% of her service games and 46.8% of her return games in this year so far. Three out of her four Grand Slam titles came from this venue. Can she grab her fourth French Open title this year?

Well, at first she needs to overcome this Czech hurdle in the QF. Marketa Vondrousova has also had a decent campaign at the French Open this year. She defeated Serbia’s Olga Danilovic by 6-4,6-2 in the fourth round and in that match, she hit just one ace but committed four double faults. Her first serve win percentage was 81% but it dropped to 60% on the second serve. She converted four out of her seven breakpoints against Danilovic.

Looking at her record this season, Vondrousova has reached two QFs and one SF this year. She has hit 65 aces and committed 92 double faults so far. The 24-year-old left-handed tennis star has won 63.2% of her service games and 42.3% of her return games. Beating the ‘Queen of Clay’ on her favorite surface is a mammoth task, but Marketa Vondrousova has grown up playing on the clay courts. This is, in fact, her favorite surface! Have they met on this surface earlier?

Swiatek vs Vondrousova: Head-to-Head

Well, their first meeting was at the 2020 French Open and in that match, Iga Swiatek comfortably defeated the Czech by 6-1,6-2. After that, they met each other on a couple of occasions, and currently, Swiatek leads the H2H against Vondrousova by a 3-0 margin. However, their latest faceoff came at the 2023 WTA Finals. Swiatek defeated Marketa Vondrousova by 7-6,6-0 in that match.

If we take a closer look at the numbers from that match, Iga Swiatek hit three aces and committed an equal number of double faults. While Marketa Vondrousova failed to hit even a single ace in that match, but she committed five double faults. The Czech tennis star won 45% of her first serve and 43% of her second serve against the Polish. It was 61% and 64% respectively for Swiatek in that match. She converted six of her ten breakpoints against Vondrousova. However, the Czech successfully converted three out of her five breakpoints. Can Marketa Vondrousova convert the half chances into winners against the world number one? 

Prediction: Swiatek to win in straight sets

Well, if Vondrousova manages to grab her chances with both hands then surely she will be able to put herself in a favorable position in this match. But will Iga Swiatek give her any chance in this match? This remains to be one of the biggest questions in this epic contest. Iga Swiatek has looked absolutely unstoppable this season. She currently has a win-loss record of 38-4 this season, while Marketa Vondrousova has recorded just 11-9 as of now.

So, looking at the current form, the Polish tennis star looks clearly ahead of the Czech. Iga Swiatek’s aggressive style of play accompanied by her venomous forehands and backhands, is a bliss to watch. She can generate a high amount of both winners and unforced errors. On the other hand, Vondrousova has a crafty style of play and she has a wide range of shots in her bag. Her signature shot is the drop shot. Her game often includes long, strategic rallies but I don’t think Iga Swiatek will give her the chance to dictate the game on her own terms.