Maria Sakkari from Greece celebrates after match point defeating Naomi Osaka in the quarter-finals at the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. Sakkari defeated Osaka in straight sets to advance to the semi-finals. PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxONLY MIA20210331115 GARYxIxROTHSTEIN
We should be in for an intriguing contest as the world No. 6 – Maria Sakkari takes on the world No. 16 – Danielle Collins in the round of 16 of the Guadalajara Open on Thursday.
The fourth seed managed to reach the finals of the Emilia-Romagna Open but since then, she failed to win a match in the Ostrava Open and the San Diego Open. It has been the story of Sakkari’s year thus far as she has blown hot and cold.
After receiving a first-round bye, the Greek tennis pro began her Guadalajara campaign with a convincing win in straight sets against Ukrainian youngster Marta Kostyuk. The match ended 6-4, 6-4 in favor of the 27-year-old.
The American tennis pro has not had a great year as well. She began with a bang, reaching the finals of the Australian Open. In the Miami Open, she made it to the quarter-finals where she lost to 4-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka. Collins showed promise at the recently-concluded San Diego Open. She defeated the likes of Caroline Garcia, Martina Trevisan, and Paula Badosa to progress to the semi-finals. The 28-year-old eventually lost to Donna Vekic.
In the Guadalajara Open, Collins defeated compatriot Caroline Dolehide 6-4, 6-1 in the first round. The former followed it up with another comprehensive showing against Magdalena Frech in the round of 32. Collins won the match 6-3, 6-4.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 1-0 in favor of Maria Sakkari. She defeated Collins in the 2018 Silicon Valley Classic in three sets.
Prediction: Danielle Collins to win in three sets.
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