Donna Vekic takes on in-form eighth seed Mirra Andreeva at the Australian Open, seeking to spark a slow start to the year. This will mark their second career meeting and the first at a major. Read on for our prediction of the match.

Vekic has had a slow start to the year, winning just one of three matches. After losing in Auckland in the first round, Vekic decided to play exhibition fixtures in Kooyong, hoping to build some confidence.

She won one of two matches but looked shaky in her win. Despite producing some strong performances in recent appearances in Melbourne, Vekic’s current form does little to inspire.

A former Australian Open quarter-finalist, Vekic, who is down to 72nd in the live ranking, earned a fourth-round finish at last year’s edition.

Mirra Andreeva has made it to the second week of competition in each of her appearances at the Australian Open. With her strong start to the year, she will be seeking to keep this run going and possibly challenge for the title.

The teenage star has lost just once in seven outings and is on a four-match winning streak. Andreeva, who has moved up to seventh in the live ranking, is coming off title success in Adelaide. The Russian powered her way to claim her fourth career title without losing a set.