Maria Sakkari vs Leylah Annie Fernandez Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Washington Citi Open

Prediction published on 04/08/2023, 06:16  by Nella Wagah in Tennis Predictions

Fourth seed Maria Sakkari makes her tour return on Friday to face qualifier Leylah Fernandez at the Washington Open. The winner of this second-round tie will set up a quarterfinal showdown with seventh-seed Madison Keys. Maria Sakkari last took to the court for a Singles match a month ago. This was at Wimbledon where she lost in the first round. The Greek world number nine has had a topsy-turvy campaign. She has compiled a 24-14 win-loss record but has excelled on hard court. On the surface, she has won 12 of 19 matches. With this record, she will be confident of ending a two-game losing run, especially as she has defeated Fernandez before. Sakkari won the only other encounter between the two in 2021. This is Sakkari’s seventh appearance in Washington and has three times made it to the third round.

Leylah Fernandez is having quite the debut in Washington. She has won her three matches starting from the qualifying rounds without dropping a set. In the first round, she defeated world number 53 Bernarda Pera by the loss of eight games. She will hope to have gathered enough momentum to subdue Sakkari. Fernandez has also struggled for form in 2023 and has won only five more matches than the 15 she has lost. The Canadian has won 13 of her 20 victories on hard court which is the only surface she has a winning record on. After her win over Pera, she has moved up eight places to 80th in the live ranking.