Maria Sakkari vs Victoria Azarenka Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Rome

Prediction published on 13/05/2024, 03:24  by Daniel Ngulu in Tennis Predictions

Fifth seed Maria Sakkari will seek her first win against 24th seed Victoria Azarenka when they meet next in Rome. They will battle in the fourth round with the winner playing either Danielle Collins or Irina-Camelia Begu next. Maria Sakkari has won her first two rounds here without dropping a set. Her third-round showdown with Anhelina Kalinina however was more demanding than her opener against Varvara Gracheva. Against Gracheva, Sakkari relinquished four games and won in one hour and 23 minutes. Her showdown with Kalinina would last almost another 30 minutes with the first set requiring a tiebreaker. The second set was however more straightforward as she won 6-0. It was her ninth victory on clay and improved her record for the season to 21-9. Sakkari is a former Italian Open semi-finalist, achieving the feat in 2019. She is currently up to seventh in the live ranking.

Victoria Azarenka has won both previous meetings with Sakkari. None however was on clay and their last encounter was three seasons ago. This however will do very little to disrupt the former world number one’s confidence levels for a third win. Azarenka, a former Italian Open finalist, is participating in her 15th edition in Rome. She has had a tougher time than Sakkari going through the first two rounds. The 34-year-old has already spent almost six hours on the court in Rome and has needed a decider in each of her wins. Azarenka defeated Mayar Sherif in the third round to advance to the second week of competing for the first time in three seasons. The win was her 19th of a strong season that has seen her contest two semi-finals. Advancing to this round has bumped her up to 23rd in the live ranking.