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Linz Open Day 5: stats and analysis of form this week: Vondrousova-Galfi

By Myre Aberdan

LINZ, AUSTRIA - FEBRUARY 09: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Image has been digitally enhanced) Dalma Galfi of Hungary in action during day four of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz 2023 on February 09, 2023 in Linz, Austria. (Photo by Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images for MatchMaker)
LINZ, AUSTRIA - FEBRUARY 09: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Image has been digitally enhanced) Dalma Galfi of Hungary in action during day four of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz 2023 on February 09, 2023 in Linz, Austria. (Photo by Alexander Scheuber/Getty Images for MatchMaker) /
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Dalma Galfi is entering the form of her life at this year’s Linz Open. This week, she is gunning for just her second ever WTA level semi-final. Her last trip to the quarter-final or beyond at a WTA level event was at the Budapest Open in 2021. Thus far, Dalma Galfi has spent more than three times as long on court as her opponent (2 hrs 15 minutes Vondrousova as opposed to a whopping 7 hrs 41 minutes from Galfi). Galfi spent almost the same amount of time on court in her last match as Vondrousova has in a week of play! Nevertheless, this is Galfi’s biggest ever run at a tournament since 2021- and she looks like a woman on a mission this week. Interestingly enough, both Vondrousova and Galfi are serving at almost equivalent levels on both first and second serves. Galfi and Vondrousova are actually level on first serve percentage (65 percent)- but Vondrousova has the slightest of upper hands in the second serve department (73 percent compared to Galfi’s 71 percent). In terms of ranking, both players also sit at an almost identical ranking position (Vondrousova at 89, Galfi at 92)- which could make for a very level contest. However, tennis is full of upsets.

Interestingly enough, Galfi has never played Vondrousova before, so this match will make for an intriguing battle between play styles that have never met. Vondrousova on the other hand has been there and done that. in 2023 alone, Vondrousova already reached the quarter-final of the Adelaide International to bolster her ranking in the earliest portion of the season. Beyond that, Vondrousova will bring in a wealth more experience into the match than Galfi- having made the final of a major at Roland Garros 2019. At WTA level, Marketa Vondrousova has made the quarter-final or beyond at WTA level fourteen times in her career, which is a plethora of experience. To add to this, Vondrousova made the final of the Olympic games- succumbing to Belinda Bencic but still taking home Olympic silver. Vondrousova has been there and done that and competed at the absolute highest levels of the sport- but will this faze Galfi or will Galfi knock Vondrousova out on her quest for some silverware this week in Linz?

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