Lulu Sun vs Donna Vekic predictions: Marathon quarter-final on the cards
- Lulu Sun has had to win seven matches to reach the quarter-final
- Three of Donna Vekic's four matches have gone the distance
- Recommended bet: Over 2.5 total sets
The seeds have been dropping like flies in the Wimbledon women's draw and for qualifier Lulu Sun and the unseeded Donna Vekic, this is a life-changing opportunity to reach the semi-final of a Grand Slam.
This is uncharted territory for Sun, who is featuring in the main draw of a Grand Slam for only the second time and the 23-year-old has had to win seven matches to make it to the quarter-final stage.
The New Zealander showed great quality and composure throughout when downing home favourite Emma Raducanu in front of a packed-out Centre Court in the fourth round, but another tough test awaits against the more experienced Vekic.
The Croatian is also bidding to break new ground and make a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time, but she is a four-time winner on the WTA Tour.
Her extra years on the circuit may stand her in good stead but she will have to be wary of the attacking game the fearless Sun possesses.
Vekic, the current world number 37, has defeated Xiyu Wang, Erika Andreeva, Dayana Yastremska and Paula Badosa on her way to the final eight.
The former world number 19 is priced up at 1/3 with LiveScore Bet to come through this test, with Sun 23/10 to continue her dream Wimbledon debut.
The stats
Sun has had to win seven matches, including three qualifiers, to make it to the quarter-final at Wimbledon.
Four of those seven matches have gone all the way to three sets while three of Vekic's four All England Club assignments have also lasted the distance.
In fact, five of the Croatian's last seven matches have lasted three sets.
Vekic has lost only one of her last nine matches and she excels on the grass, having suffered just four defeats in her last 21 outings on the surface.
Sun has lost the opening set in two of her four main-draw appearances while Vekic has landed the first set in her last three assignments at SW19.
Prediction
This is a difficult contest to call given the stakes and the fact that it is the biggest stage that both players have ever played on.
The prize of a semi-final is monumental and there are sure to be plenty of twists and turns along the way, but a three-set contest is what appeals most.
Vekic is the more seasoned performer and she has already had to go the distance in three of her four matches, outlasting Wang, Yastremska and Badosa in 2-1 victories.
But there was so much to like about Sun's latest victory over Raducanu given she was also up against a fired-up Centre Court, with her hitting 52 winners in a 6-2 5-7 6-2 success.
The Brit looked somewhere back to the level that had clinched the 2021 US Open title, so Sun deserves plenty of praise and she has the game to take it to Vekic.
However, with adopting such an attacking approach comes unforced errors and she made 44 of those in that win against Raducanu.
Vekic plays a similar brand of all-out tennis so this should be an entertaining spectacle, but one that is unlikely to be settled quickly.
