Maria Sakkari (Tennis Daily)
World No. 7 Maria Sakkari faces locks horns with No. 74 Mayar Sherif in the finals of the Parma Ladies Open on Saturday.
The 27-year-old had made it to a couple of finals this year prior to her campaign in the Parma Ladies Open. She failed to win the title on both occasions. The Greek tennis pro struggled with inconsistent form since reaching the semi-finals of the Berlin Open in June. However, her performance at the Parma Ladies Open should give her a lot of confidence.
Sakkari hasn’t really bulldozed her way into the finals. Especially in her first three matches, Sakkari had to come back after losing the first sets. In the round of 32, she defeated Kateryna Baindl 6-7 (2-7), 6-2, 6-3. In the round of 16, Sakkari got the better of Arantxa Rus 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. Belgium’s Maryna Zanevska tried to topple Sakkari in the quarter-finals but she also failed to close out the match after bagging the first set. Sakkari picked up the victory 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. In the semi-finals, Sakkari defeated Danka Koviniv in straight sets 7-5, 6-2.
The Egyptian tennis pro has been a force to reckon with in the tournament so far. Sherif has won three out of her four matches in straight sets and finds herself in her first tour-level final in 2022.
The world No. 74 has notched up a comprehensive win against Anna Bondar to kickstart her campaign. In the second round, Sherif defeated Simona Waltert 6-3, 7-6 (7-1). Lauren Davis couldn’t stop Sherif’s marauding run as she lost 6-7 (2-7), 3-6 to the 26-year-old. Ana Bogdan became the first one in the tournament to take a set off Sherif but that wasn’t good enough. Sherif picked up the win 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to advance to the final.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 1-0 in favor of Maria Sakkari as the Greek tennis pro defeated Sherif in straight sets 6-0, 6-3 in the round of 32 of the 2021 Qatar Open.
Prediction: Maria Sakkari to win in straight sets.
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