Greek tennis player Maria Sakkari is back in the hunt for a spot deep in the draw of an important tournament. Not long ago, she was in the Indian Wells final, where she lost to Iga Swiatek. Over the last several days, Sakkari has survived the first few hurdles at the 2024 Miami Open. In her next match, she will face upstart Anna Kalinskaya. This will be a round-of-sixteen match in the draw, a match where Sakkari is priced at -150 as a moneyline favorite (bet365). My Sakkari vs Kalinskaya prediction focuses on a tennis prop which assumes that these two players will be competitive against one another.
Schedule of Play: Right-click/Open in the New Tab to check match times: subject to change
Maria Sakkari vs Anna Kalinskaya Head-to-Head Series
These two players have met just one time in the past. The Sakkari vs Kalinskaya h2h is 1-0 following a result from the 2021 WTA season. They met in the Moscow draw late that season, which would have been a hardcourt match. Unfortunately, Kalinskaya retired from the match. With nothing else to go on, bettors should treat this head-to-head series lightly.
On current rankings, Sakkari is the World No. 9. I think she is playing better than a few players ranked above her. Meanwhile, Kalinskaya is currently ranked 25th and has enjoyed a strong opening few months to her 2024 WTA season. This is very much a match between two solid players.
The Draw: Right-click/Open the link in a new tab for the draw for the 2024 Miami Open
Maria Sakkari’s Recent Matches and Results
So far in Miami, Sakkari is 4-0 on sets played through Yue Yuan and Dayana Yastremska. Sakkari went 5-1 in Indian Wells, beating Coco Gauff, Emma Navarro, and Caroline Garcia.
Sakkari shook up her coaching camp over a month ago now, which I took to mean that she was dissatisfied with her title count. She is 28 years old, she has spent a lot of time in the Top Ten, and yet she has just two career titles. I think she is a very hungry player who realizes her window for a major might only be a couple more years. Sakkari is definitely about trying to win right now.
Anna Kalinskaya’s Recent Matches and Results
Kalinskaya is playing well at the 2024 Miami Open. She is 4-0 on sets played through Jelena Ostapenko and Xiyu Wang. Jasmine Paolini has been a thorn in Kalinskaya’s side recently. Paolini eliminated Kalinskaya from the Indian Wells draw. The Italian also beat her in the Dubai final about a month ago. But Kalinskaya went 7-1 in the Dubai tournament, main draw and qualifying combined. It’s this run that has made her a Top 30 player on tour. She beat Ostapenko, Gauff, and Swiatek in successive matches in Dubai. Bettors simply can’t ignore that trio of results.
Sakkari vs Kalinskaya Prediction: OVER 0.5 tiebreakers
I think bettors should be banking on a tiebreaker in this match. The odds are out at +240 but appear to be too long for OVER 0.5 tiebreakers (bet365). I am expecting a battle where neither player will be giving an inch.
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