Round-1 of the women’s doubles in London.
As the 2025 Wimbledon Championships approach sooner than ever, singles competitors Daria Kasatkina and Donna Vekic will put their net game to test in doubles action on the lush green grass. The duo is set to take on veteran doubles pairing of Luisa Stefani and Timea Babos in the opening round of the HSBC Championships in Queen’s Club.
After featuring only in the singles event at Roland Garros, Kasatkina and Vekic enter London to brush up their grass court game. While the Russian-born Australian star is a former quarterfinalist at Wimbledon, her Croatian partner reached the women’s singles semifinals at SW19 last year. It is a strong combination – while Vekic brings the firepower and baseline heavy game, Kasatkina adds a touch of finesse and variety.
‘Dasha’ is the winner of a solitary WTA doubles trophy, and also reached the QFs at the 2016 Rio Olympics alongside Svetlana Kuznetsova. On the other hand, Babos and Stefani are experienced players on the doubles circuit. They were eliminated in Round-3 of the French Open last week – losing to top seeds Siniakova/Townsend. The head to head record between these two pairs is currently 0-0.
In May, the Stefani/Babos pair picked up the doubles championship in Strasbourg. 32-year-old is among the most decorated doubles specialists currently active in the WTA circuit. She has 27 titles to her name – including four Grand Slams and three WTA Finals wins. Stefani, 27, is an Australian Open champion in mixed doubles from 2023.
| Kasatkina / Vekic | Category | Stefani / Babos |
| 0 | Doubles Grand Slams | 1 / 4 |
| 8 / 4 | WTA Singles Titles | 0 / 3 |
| 1 / 0 | WTA Doubles Titles | 11 / 27 |
| QF / – | Olympics Best (Doubles) | R1 / – |
| No. 43 / No. 171 | Career-Best Doubles Ranking | No. 9 / No. 1 |
| No. 502 / – | Current Doubles Ranking | No. 26 / No. 24 |
Despite lacking the doubles expertise and coordination, the grass courts in Queen’s suit the flat nature of the Aussie-Croat pairing. They have an innate ability to use the pace generated by their opponents and redirect shots. However, Babos is the player to keep an eye out for. The Hungarian turns up the heat when least expected, and has a very high tennis IQ.
Prediction: Stefani/Babos in three sets.
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The Brazilian-Hungarian pair is favoured to win the match-up on Tuesday, as per the betting markets. Here are the odds for the doubles match as per the money line:
Kasatkina/Vekic Win: 9/5
Stefani/Babos Win: 1/3
(According to BetMGM)
