By Ros Satar
- Heather Watson [Q] v Danka Kovinic
- Watson leads H2H: 1-0
AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA – Heather Watson kicks British action off in the singles, coming through qualifying to face Danka Kovinic.
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Heather Watson [Q] v Danka Kovinic | H2H & Match Fundamentals
It has been a strange year for Heather Watson. With a couple of ITF tournaments, including the final in Glasgow, it is now a hop across the pond where Watson had to come through a couple of tight qualifying rounds, to get into the main draw.
She will face Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic.
| Heather Watson [Q] v Danka Kovinic | H2H: Watson leads 1-0 |
| WTA Austin | Texas, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $1,848 |
| Third on Stadium Court, not before 1:30pm (7:30pm GMT) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (Hard Court 2023)
| H2H: | Heather Watson (WR 145) | Danka Kovinic (WR 62) |
| Tournament Previous Best | Debut | Debut |
| 1st Serve Return Points Won % | 39.3 | 36.2 |
| Return Points Won % | 44.8 | 42.3 |
| Break Point Conversion % | 45.2 | 50.3 |
| Break Points Saved % | 53.7 | 55.3 |
| Total Points Won % | 50.5 | 49.7 |
Watson will have to work hard to keep her return stats as an edge against Kovinic.
Playing Styles & Prediction
Watson has always been a confidence player, and if she comes in on a run of wins, she plays a lot more freely. She also has the advantage of knowing that she has a recent win over Kovinic and on hard courts.
The Montenegrin likes to play an aggressive baseline game, but she has worked to shy away from just wanting to finish points quickly, and instead work to stay in rallies. This will be vital against someone like Watson, who can switch from her own aggressive game to playing very defensively and making her opponent work for every ball.
Kovinic started the year well, but failed to make it fast the first round of qualifying in Dubai and may feel undercooked on the Austin courts. Watson will need to work hard though to make it a second win.
Prediction: Watson in three sets.
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