Aryna Sabalenka hopes to make her fourth Porsche Tennis Grand Prix final this year, but to get there, she'll have to go through Marketa Vondrousova.
The Belarusian has been coming to Stuttgart for years but has yet to win the trophy. A fourth time might be the charm for her, as Ashleigh Barty and then Iga Swiatek twice proved too much in the final matches.
She'll have to overcome a very solid player in Vondrousova to get there, and the Czech returned to the courts after some time. It's a very interesting matchup between two very good players, especially Vondrousova, who might not be that well known.
She is one of the best players in the world when she's at her best, and she's been pretty good so far this week, beating Donna Vekic and Anastasia Potapova in two sets.
We've seen this matchup a few times already, with Sabalenka performing better most times. Six matches have been played so far, and Sabalenka is leading the H2H 4-2, including the most recent meeting at the 2023 Adelaide International.
It's been a while since they played, and it's been a long time since Vondrousova's two wins. The first one was back in 2017, and the second one was in 2018. These conditions should technically favor Sabalenka more, but she didn't play all that great in the first match in Stuttgart.
| Aryna Sabalenka | Marketa Vondrousova | |
| 4 | H2H | 2 |
| 2 | Rank | 8 |
| 25 | Age | 24 |
| 15-4 | 2024 W/L | 7-4 |
| 375-178 | Career W/L | 267-114 |
Sabalenka is a three-time finalist in Stuttgart, so she generally plays really well. I do expect a better level from her in this match, but I could see a way for Vondrousova to win it. If she can remain steady in the rallies, she can certainly do some damage here. I'll still back Sabalenka to win.
Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets.