Match of the Day: Ashleigh Barty vs. Marketa Vondrousova, Adelaide

After undergoing left wrist surgery in September, French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova is on a roll, and then some.

Having been out of action since Wimbledon, it would have been understandable if Vondrousova needed ample time to find her footing on court this month. It's been quite the contrary in Adelaide, as the left-hander has won an astounding 19 consecutive games in her first two rounds. She defeated Tatjana Maria, 6-3, 6-0, and then dispatched Arina Rodionova, 6-0, 6-0, to set up a quarterfinal meeting with the woman who outclassed her at Roland Garros, Ashleigh Barty.

Instead of Vondrousova, it was Barty who began her 2020 campaign with a question mark. The world No. 1 suffered a straight set, opening-round loss to Jennifer Brady in Brisbane, then barely squeaked by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, in her Adelaide opener.

The Aussie certainly enjoys her time away from the sport; after winning in Paris, she admitted she didn’t pick up a racquet for almost two weeks (though went on to win Birmingham in her return). If she took that kind of hiatus mid-season, one can only wonder how much dust her Head Gravity picked up this off-season.

Vondrousova’s game is trending in the right direction, but she has struggled mightily against Barty in the past. She’s yet to win a set in any of her three previous meetings. Expect that to change late Thursday night, though.

It’s tough to pick a player with an 0-3 record against her opponent, but it might be more difficult to go against a player who has won three consecutive 6-0 sets. With Barty yet to demonstrate her best tennis, this could be the Czech’s best chance to score her first win over the 23-year-old.