Marketa Vondrousova vs Anett Kontaveit Odds & Prediction – WTA Kremlin Cup Semifinals
- No. 9 Anett Kontaveit and unseeded Marketa Vondrousova will meet Saturday in the Kremlin Cup semifinals
- Kontaveit is still aiming for the WTA Finals; Vondrousova holds a 2-0 edge in their head-to-head
- The match is scheduled for 5:00 am ET. Read on for analysis and best bets
Anett Kontaveit remains (barely) alive in a quest for her first qualification at the WTA Tour Finals.
She’d have to win both in Moscow and next week in Romania. But she is in a terrific run of form.
Meanwhile, opponent Marketa Vondrousova is just playing out the season. Although she’d love to win her first title in 4 1/2 years.
Marketa Vondrousova vs Anett Kontaveit Odds
| Player | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketa Vondrousova | +2.5 (-120) | +130 | O 21.5 (-130) |
| [9] Anett Kontaveit (EST) | -2.5 (-110) | -160 | U 21.5 (-105) |
Odds as of Oct. 22 at DraftKings
Kontaveit Runs Over Muguruza
With WTA Finals qualification on the line for both – and Garbiñe Muguruza needing just this one win to make it to Guadalajara – you’d have expected a hard-fought quarterfinal Thursday in Moscow.
The reality turned out to be completely the opposite.
Kontaveit rolled over Muguruza 6-1, 6-1 in … 48 minutes. The No. 2 seed won just 45 percent of her first serve points, just 6-of-35 points on Kontaveit’s serve and just 22 of the 76 total points.
It was a total shellacking, to add to Kontaveit’s straight-sets victories in her first two rounds.
Vondrousova the Giant Killer
Meanwhile, Vondrousova has had herself a great week, taking down two of the top seeds on her way to the final four.
She took care of No. 7 seed Elena Rybakina right out of the gate, beating her 6-4, 6-4 in the first round. In fairness to Rybakina, she had made the doubles final at Indian Wells and had a long, long trip to Moscow (not to mention a 10-hour time difference to adjust to).
In the quarterfinals, the Czech lefty posted another straight win over a seed – 6-4, 6-2 over No. 4 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Into a 5th semifinal of 2021 👋
🇨🇿 Marketa Vondrousova beats Pavlyuchenkova and goes on to face Kontaveit or Muguruza for a place in the #VTBKremlinCup final! pic.twitter.com/JeHnD6xQOI
— wta (@WTA) October 22, 2021
After going a fairly pedestrian 14-12 through Wimbledon, Vondrousova came alive at the Olympics in Tokyo, where she won the silver medal.
She’s 10-3 since the US Open including a disappointing opening loss to Viktorija Golubic at Indian Wells. But having given Muguruza a walkover in their semifinal in Chicago the previous week due to a stomach illness, she might not have been in full form.
Marketa Vondrousova vs Anett Kontaveit Head-to-Head
| 22 (June 27, 1999) | Age | 25 (Dec. 24, 1995) |
| Sokolov, Czech Republic | Birthplace | Tallinn, Estonia |
| 5-6 | Height | 5-9 |
| 1 | Career WTA Singles Titles | 3 |
| 0 | Career Grand Slam Titles | 0 |
| No. 14 (July 1, 2019) | Career High Ranking | No. 14 (April 1, 2019) |
| No. 35 | Current Ranking | No. 20 |
| $4,388,861 | Career Prize Money | $5,937,700 |
| 32-18 | 2021 Won/Loss record | 38-15 |
| 2 | Career Head to Head | 0 |
Vondrousova and Kontaveit Have History
The 2-0 head-to-head in Vondrousova’s favor has some nuance.
They first met indoors in Biel, Switzerland when Vondrousova was still only 17 and ranked No. 233 in the world.
She was at No. 420 to start that 2017 season – so low that instead of even playing the Australian Open qualifying, she was grinding at entry-level ITF tournaments Down Under, long after the Grand Slam was done.
In Biel, Vondrousova went from the qualifying and all the way to the title in a dream run that heralded her arrival on the WTA scene.
The lefty was an unstoppable force that week. And Kontaveit, then ranked No. 99 (but who finished the season at No. 34), couldn’t do any better than Vondrousova’s previous seven opponents.
It was Vondrousova’s first and, so far, only title. And it was 4 1/2 years ago.
Marketa Vondrousova vs Anett Kontaveit Match History
| Year | Tournament | Surface | Score | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Wimbledon (R128) | Grass | 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 | Vondrousova |
| 2017 | Biel (F) | Indoor Hard | 6-4, 7-6 (6) | Vondrousova |
Kontaveit Likes Lefties – Except Kvitova
The most recent meeting between Vondrousova and Kontaveit came in the first round of Wimbledon this year, on grass.
And again, some caveats. That’s a tough first-round matchup at any event. But Kontaveit had just made a run to the final at Eastbourne the week before. Given the quick turnaround and the tough opponent, the odds were in Vondrousova’s favor.
Generally, Kontaveit has done extremely well against lefties over the last four years.
She’s 11-6 – but four of those losses have been to Petra Kvitova. (She’s also beaten that other Czech lefty three times – they must be tired of each other).
Another was that Wimbledon loss to Vondrousova.
Given the stakes and the roll the Estonian is on, it’s hard to bet against the favorite in this one.
Best Bet: Kontaveit in three sets (+275)
Stephanie gets the straight dope from the tennis insiders. On court, she has represented her country internationally. A BA in journalism led to years on the MLB beat and a decade covering tennis globally. She's written for Postmedia, the Guardian, the New York Times and also publishes OpenCourt.ca.
