Two-time Grand Slam finalist and 115th-ranked Vera Zvonareva squares off against World No. 73 Polona Hercog of Slovenia, in the first round of the 2021 WTA Istanbul Open on Tuesday, April 20. Get the live streaming options of this Vera Zvonareva v Polona Hercog match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Vera Zvonareva v Polona Hercog Head to Head
Zvonareva and Hercog have met only once before on the WTA tour and it was Hercog, who won that encounter in some style in Indian Wells six years ago. In fact, Hercog completely annihilated Zvonareva, earning a lopsided 6-1, 6-1 triumph in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open in California in the year 2015.
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Zvonareva Looks to Open Her Campaign With a Win
Former World No. 2 Zvonareva, who has accumulated a decent 7-5 win/loss record for the season, is coming into the tournament in Istanbul on the back of a semifinal run in St. Petersburg. The Russian, who is known for her all-round game, beat the third seed Fiona Ferro of France on her way to the last 4 of the WTA event.
Definitely, Zvonareva’s performance in St. Petersburg would have given her the much needed boost as she wasn’t able to achieve a string of wins in recent times. There’s no doubt about the fact that when you aren’t winning enough matches, your confidence takes a major hit and that’s what, Zvonareva must have felt of late because of her inability to accomplish the desired results.
Zvonareva is known for having a phenomenal backhand and wins a lot of points with her trademark shot. Indeed, she is quite capable of winning a bunch of points by executing, both down-the-line and cross-court winners from her double-handed backhand.
Moreover, she can employ high topspin and create fine angles with that stroke to trouble her opponents. But, nowadays, having a solid backhand is not at all a guarantee of success on the court and Zvonareva knows it as well.
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Hercog is on a Five Match Winning Streak
Zvonareva will be up against the World No. 73 Polona Hercog, who is on a five match winning streak after capturing the ITF Challenger tournament Oeiras last week.
Even though, the Slovenian was lucky to win the title there as her rival, Clara Burel of France, gave her a walkover in the final, winning five matches on the trot will give anyone, let alone, Hercog some confidence.
Hercog, a defensive baseliner, uses a heavy amount of topspin on her groundstrokes and has the ability to surprise her opponents with her exceptional retrieving skills from the back court. In addition to that, Hercog has the knack of not giving an inch on the court and her adversaries find it extremely tough to break her defenses.
Hercog is a fighter and loves to put up a fight, even against players, who are ranked much higher in the rankings. Luckily, Zvonareva is not ranked higher than her, but being a former top-3 player, she has the experience of performing on the grand stage. Hercog, though, will not be too perturbed with the Russian’s past exploits.
Zvonareva v Hercog Prediction and Tip
Hercog is expected to win this encounter against Zvonareva in three sets. While, there’s little doubt that the Russian’s game is on the wane, she would still give some sort of fight to the Slovenian on Tuesday.
Tip: Hercog to win in three sets: 3/1 (bet365)
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The 2021 WTA Istanbul Open will be played from April 19 to 25. You can watch & bet on these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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