Elina Svitolina – Veronika Kudermetova. Forecast and announcement for the Aus Open match

January 20 Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina (WTA 27) will continue to play at the 2025 Australian Open.

In the 4th round, the Ukrainian will play against the “neutral” Veronika Kudermetova (WTA 75). Estimated start time of the game is 02:30 Kyiv time.

Sport.ua will conduct a video broadcast of the match.

Elina Svitolina

The Ukrainian overachieved what we wanted to see from her. In addition to excellent physical shape, Elina also won a big victory at this major.

After a confident game with Jule Niemeyer and Caroline Doleheide, Svitolina faced the world’s fourth-ranked Jasmine Paolini. The Ukrainian started not very confidently, losing the first set with a score of 2:6. Elina’s serve did not go well, she did not hit the first ball. She seemed more intent on delivering powerfully or obliquely and immediately putting Jasmine in an awkward position on the receiving end. But only a weak second ball and a loss of confidence resulted from this, and at the end of the game Svitolina began to show, albeit restrained, her emotions and indignation at what was happening.

There was no crown forehand, the backhand also failed, Paolini led the game and actively scattered the balls in different corners of the court. It seemed that only Paolini’s mistakes would save Svitolina. And in the second game it happened – Paolini began to force more and more often, while Svitolina turned on the forehand and slowly got involved in the game. There were also problems with serving, but at least she improved her hitting with the first ball and did not pour doubles. Elina gained confidence and beat Jasmin in the second set, now she was already in control of the match. And the third game turned out to be a mirror image of the first – Paolina was unable to do anything, while Svitolina continued to press and score points. 6:0 – clearly shows what was on the court in the third set and what will happen if Elina feels her tennis.

Tennis is a game not only of mistakes, but also of emotions that allow you to show your best tennis. And there are always additional factors – injuries, fatigue, fans, or even incredible accuracy of opponents. If before Elina was pressured by an ankle injury, now it is not. Svitolina’s next opponent is a tennis player not of the “invincible” caliber. It is clear that Svitolina is not in her prime, and only during the season we will see her improvement and gaining form, but if she is already able to win in the fourth racket, then why not beat Kudermetova?

Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Elina Svitolina Veronika Kudermetova

In 2022 and 2023, Kudermetova was considered a dangerous tennis player. She didn’t have any major trophies, but she was consistently in the top 20 and often beat top 10 players. In 2022 and 2023, she has 10 wins and 9 losses against such opponents.

In general, Kudermetova performs very well in doubles. Not many are able to play both there and there at a high level. Kudermetova has a good serve in her arsenal and an excellent game at the net, which is understandable thanks to her doubles matches.

Two of Veronika’s main problems are psychos (which, in principle, comes with being born in the swamps) and her trainer, part-time husband, Serhii Demyokhin. A lover of Tsk and her so-called country cannot help but be disgusted. But as long as such personnel are admitted to tournaments, the only thing left is to beat them.

In 2024, Veronica got off to a bad start, failing at the Australian series. She finished last season with 18 wins and 24 losses, with only one semi-final to her credit (in Seoul). Due to poor results, there was a drop in the ranking outside the top 50 and she is now in the 75th position.

She started the new season in Brisbane, where she immediately lost to Peyton Stearns. In Hobart, she managed to win against Cocharetto and Osorio, and then lost to Elise Mertens. It is logical that nothing was expected of her in Melbourne. But she slowly began to gain form – victories over Olivia Gadeki, Katie Boulter and Beatrice Haddad Maia.

There was a rout with Gadeki, and Olivia’s level is weak. With Bulter and Haddad, Maya Kudermetova made more than 30 free throws and made about the same number of winners. Veronika’s style is significantly different from Svitolina Paolini’s, but it’s for the better – if Jasmin rarely bury herself, Veronika is able to do it with constant reinforcements.

Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Veronika Kudermetova Personal meetings

Tennis players have played each other twice before. The “neutral” won twice, but Svitolina was the favorite in both meetings. In 2019, Elina lost to Veronika at the tournament in Moscow, and in 2021 she lost to her in Abu Dhabi. Both matches were very close.

Prediction for the match between Elina Svitolina and Veronika Kudermetova

Do not focus on personal meetings. 4 years have passed since the last face-to-face confrontation, a lot has changed. Now Elina is again the favorite. And you can’t disagree with that.

You can bet on the victory of Elina with a coefficient of 1.52. Not the most interesting numbers. I doubt that Svitolina will beat Kudermetova very easily, no matter how much she wants it. The exact score in sets is 2:1 in favor of Elina.