Anna Bondar and Petra Kvitova meet in the first round of the 2022 tennis French Open.
Anna Bondar is coming off a semifinal appearance in Morocco where she withdrew from the tournament, so she’s truly won six of her last seven played matches. Bondar is simply playing some quality tennis over the last month or so and clay is her favorite surface, as she’s made 16 finals in the ITF circuit. It’s not about gaining that big match experience on the big stage to reach that next level for the near 25-year-old. Bondar looks to win her first ever grand slam match, and this is just her second ever grand slam appearance. Bondar has won seven of her last nine matches on clay court.
Petra Kvitova enters this tournament on a four-match losing streak, which includes a straight sets loss in Madrid. In the losing effort, Kvitova won 54 percent of her total service points and was broken four times. Kvitova has had consistency issues with her serve all year, and she’s had trouble stringing together strong performances all year outside of a quarterfinal trip in Miami. Kvitova has lost in the first round of a grand slam four times since 2015. Kvitova hasn’t lost in the first round of the French Open since 2010. With a 73 percent winning percentage, the French Open is the second most successful grand slam for the Czech. Kvitova has lost five of her last seven matches on clay court.
There’s no match history between these two players.
Kvitova is probably the rightful favorite, given the experience edge and the fact she has a lot of success at the French Open over the course of her career. However, Bondar is simply playing the better tennis right now and despite the big match experience, she’s no stranger to clay courts, and it’s where she’s done most of her damage throughout her career. This is a dangerous match for Kvitova, especially given her recent struggles.
I actually like Bondar and the plus money, winning the biggest match of her career yet.