Maria Sakkari
Ninth seed Maria Sakkari will face the challenge of Barbora Strycova in the second round of the Italian Open
Maria Sakkari hasn’t been in the best of touch so far this year. She has been good in patches but lacked the consistency this season and has failed to win any silverware. However, she displayed grit and determination at the recently concluded Madrid Open and reached the Semi-finals of the tournament before losing to the eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka.
Sakkari will have her eyes set on winning the title in Italy after two shocking first round exits in her recent tournaments – the Miami Open and the Stuttgart Open. She has already shown at the Madrid Open that she is getting back to her best and that’s worrying news for the rest of the field. It remains to be seen if Sakkari can go all the way and clinch the title in Italy.
Barbora Strycova is a veteran player on the WTA tour and only plays selected events. The 37-year-old has only played at the Madrid Open before coming to Italy but she suffered a first-round exit in Spain.
She has made a better start at the Italian Open and won her first round encounter against Maryna Zanevska to progress to the Round of 64 and set up a clash against No.9 seed Maria Sakkari.
Date – Friday, 12th May
Court Type – Clay outdoor surface
Telecast – Tennis Channel
Start Time – To be Announced
Location – Foro Italico
Match details – Round of 64 match
Sakkari and Strycova have never played each other before on the WTA tour. This is the first professional head to head clash between the two players. On paper, Sakkari is the favourite both in terms of form and rankings. However, one can certainly not rule out Strycova and the Czech star is expected to put up a tough fight. Despite that, we are predicting a comfortable win for Sakkari in straight sets.
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