tennis | Monday, December 5, 2022 12:38 PM

Monday Tennis Best Bet: WTA 125K Angers, Marketa Vondrousova vs Yanina Wickmayer

Jon Reid

Marketa Vondrousova vs Yanina Wickmayer Best Bet: Monday, December 5th

It’s the final few weeks of the season for the women (the men’s tour wrapped up for a short offseason last week with a pair of Challengers), as they head to France for a pair of events.

The first stop is in Angers, France, where qualifying wraps up and then main draw action gets underway on Monday, and we’ll look to the match between Marketa Vondrousova and Yanina Wickmayer for our Monday selection.

In this article:

Marketa Vondrousova vs Yanina Wickmayer Preview
Marketa Vondrousova vs Yanina Wickmayer Best Bet

Marketa Vondrousova vs Yanina Wickmayer Preview

December 5th, 14:30 UK Time

Well it appears as though Vondrousova – a mainstay inside the top-30 of the women’s game for the last few years – has returned to full health after being out for months, as she’s been steamrolling the lower levels of the game for the last few weeks.

Despite a hiccup in her very first match back (understandable), the Czech has looked strong in November, winning the W100 event in Shrewsbury, dropping just one set along the way, before dispatching American Danielle Collins with relative ease at the Billie Jean King Cup.

While some matches featured some closer sets, those were primarily against players that could match her consistent play and deal with her being able to counterpunch and move the ball from side-to-side with ease.

That’s why I don’t mind backing her to make quick work of Wickmayer on Monday.

While the Belgian has a strong serve, she’s never been known for her movement or athleticism, and at 33 years old, it’s not likely she’ll be improving in that department anytime soon either.

The matchup sets up perfectly for Vondrousova, who is a strong returner to combat the pace on the first serves of Wickmayer, and who can counterpunch to the outer thirds of the court off both wings remarkably well. Her serve is also one that relies on placement, something that should help her keep the ball out of Wickmayer’s optimal striking zone and ensure she isn’t leaving nice easy serves sitting up for the veteran to punish.

Marketa Vondrousova vs Yanina Wickmayer Best Bet

The market doesn’t really doubt that Vondrousova should be the overwhelming favourite in this one, and deservedly so.

I still there’s enough room to back her here, though, in the total games market against Wickmayer. There seems to be a tad of respect for Wickmayer’s strong first serve on a quick surface. That would sit fine with me, if she wasn’t playing someone like Vondrousova, who’s able to pick a one-dimensional game apart and exploit the lack of movement in an opponent’s game.

For me, this number should be closer to the 18.5 games range than 19.5 and I’m going to go ahead and back this one to finish quickly.