Two players who have played well so far in Indian Wells set up an interesting match of contrasting styles, with 19th seed Jelena Jankovic taking on unseeded American Coco Vandeweghe at the BNP Paribas Open. This match is scheduled to be the fourth match on Stadium 2, taking place at around 17:00 California Time, and the winner will take on 3rd seed Agnieszka Radwanska or 32nd seed Monica Niculescu in the fourth round.
So Far In Indian Wells
As as seeded player, Jankovic has the advantage of only having played one match so far in California. As well as having a rest in the first round, she wouldn't have used too much energy in her second round match, as she eased past Carina Witthoeft 6-1, 6-3 with relative ease. A similar performance today will give her a strong chance of winning.
One disadvantage that Vandeweghe has is that she has had to play two matches, though neither of them were particularly difficult for the American. She eased past qualifier Kiki Bertens 6-4, 6-4 in the opening round and then caused a minor upset with a 6-4, 6-3 win over 16th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round. The American has played well so far, but may need an even better performances against Jankovic.
Analysis
One of the reasons why this match is such an interesting clash is the contrasting styles between the two. Jankovic is a strong defender with a good serve and strong groundstrokes, whilst Vandeweghe is a player with all-out power and aggression. It will be interesting to see how this contrast in styles affects this match. Consistency will also be key for both. Jankovic and Vandeweghe are both talented players but are very inconsistent, so the player who is able to hold their top level for the longest will probably win this.
Jankovic will certainly need to serve well and will probably need to defend well against the American's pure power. Jankovic should try to hang on to try and frustrate Vandeweghe. The former world number one will also hope that Vandeweghe is not playing well, and Jankovic should look to try to dictate as many rallies with her backhand, one of her strongest shots.
Vandeweghe should certainly try to attack at every opportunity and should probably try to finish off poinst as quickly as possible, limiting the number of opportunities that the Serbian would get. Serving will also be key for the American in this match, and she must be careful to not make too many errors against such a good counter puncher.
Head To Head
Another interesting factor to this match is the head-to-head is tied, with the two splitting their previous six meetings. Jankovic won their last meeting, a straight sets win in Sydney earlier this year, though Vandeweghe has won three of their last four meetings.
Assessment
This should be a really close encounter and hopefully the crowd on Stadium 2 will get to see a great match. The crowd could really help the American and Vandeweghe has a good opportunity, though Jankovic's tough defense a good groundstrokes should help her edge this.
Prediction: Jelena Jankovic in three sets