Donna Vekic could have a fantastic 2019. She has made steady progress up the rankings in the last two seasons and looks well-placed – physically and mentally – to go all the way up to the top ten this year.
She could not have wished for a better start to the year. First she trounced 2017 Wimbledon semi-finalist Magdalena Rybarikova 6-1 6-2. Next she won a tight three-setter against World No.9 Kiki Bertens.
And then she backed up those results with a near-flawless performance to demolish Aliaksandra Sasnovich, the player who knocked out Elina Svitolina, 6-2 6-0.
“Today was probably one of the most perfect matches I’ve ever played,” Vekic said in her press conference. “I was trying to be aggressive, and not give her time to be aggressive, because if she’s on, she’s on. I was watching her match with Svitolina, and I was like, ‘Oh, wow, that’s going to be tough’.”
Although the Croatian expected a difficult match against Sasnovich, she made defeating her look easy. She served superbly, hit her groundstrokes hard and deep and never let the Belarussian settle.
Consequently, Vekic racked up a string of impressive stats: 70% of first serve points won, five out of five break points converted, 16 winners and just five unforced errors.
Vekic to take on Pliskova in Brisbane semi-final
It truly was a high-class performance, and it sets up the Croatian perfectly for her next challenge: a semi-final clash with Karolina Pliskova.
Vekic’s match against the World No.8 will be only her second appearance in a Premier semi-final and, even if she loses, the Croatian will move up to a career-high ranking of 29. However, this is the kind of match she needs to win if she is going to reach the top ten.
When she was interviewed at the Birmingham Classic in June 2018, Vekic said, “I have had quite a few close matches against the top players and I feel like I’m there. There’s just a little bit missing (that I need) to make the next step to be able to beat them.”
Since then, the Croatian has made encouraging steps in the right direction. She beat Sloane Stephens twice, reached her first Premier semi-final in Tokyo and almost won a significant title in Washington.
If she can get the better of Pliskova in Brisbane, it will definitely feel like another significant leap towards the top – which is exactly where Vekic wants to be.
