Leylah Fernandez vs Donna Vekic Prediction United Cup Tennis Picks 12/28/24

Leylah Fernandez is ranked 31st in the WTA rankings although she has previously been ranked as high as World No. 13. The Canadian lefty made deep runs in some of the tournaments she competed in last year, most memorably in Doha where she reached the quarterfinal by beating Paula Badosa and Qinwen Zheng and the Eastbourne final.

Her other Top 10 win came in Cincinnati where she beat Elena Rybakina after saving two match points. Fernandez went on to make the quarterfinals in what proved to be her best result at a WTA 1000 in 2024.

Fernandez finished the season with two successive losses, with a costly one at the Billie Jean King Cup where Canada’s title defense was ended by Great Britain.

Fernandez won 31 matches and suffered 25 losses in 2024 across all levels. This will be her second participation at the United Cup after making her debut last season.

Donna Vekic Preview

Despite a few notable heartbreaks, 2024 was a still stellar season for Donna Vekic. She reclaimed her spot in the world’s Top 20. Vekic became a Grand Slam semifinalist for the first time at Wimbledon, losing a classic to Jasmine Paolini.

She reached the Olympics final but lost out to Qinwen Zheng. Thankfully for her, she did not leave Paris empty-handed and earned a silver medal.

Vekic finished the season with 32 wins and 20 losses. She last competed in Wuhan at the start of October. This is her third successive appearance at the United Cup where she is undefeated.

Donna Vekic vs Leylah Fernandez Head-To-Head

• Vekic and Fernandez have never played each other at any level, so this will be their first clash.

Donna Vekic vs Leylah Fernandez Prediction

This is a fascinating matchup and a complete contrast of styles. Vekic brings all the power with a bigger serve and more robust forehand. Fernandez covers the court so well and is not easily bullied even with limited power. It’s a tough one to call and you reckon Canada would be obvious favorites to win the tie if they win this rubber. But I trust Vekic to pull the rabbit out of the hat and rise to the occasion for the country. She is undefeated in this competition winning all five of her singles matches.