In-form, World No. 19 Maria Sakkari will take on former top 10 player Andrea Petkovic, in the first round of the 2021 WTA Stuttgart Open on Monday, April 19. Get the live streaming options of this Ekaterina Maria Sakkari v Andrea Petkovic match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Maria Sakkari v Andrea Petkovic Head to Head
The pair has locked horns thrice in the past and it is Sakkari, who currently leads their head-to-head 2-1. While Germany’s Petkovic won their maiden encounter in Madrid back in 2017, the Greek got her revenge in Charleston in 2019. The same year, Sakkari registered her second win over Petkovic as she beat her 6-2, 7-5 on the clay courts of Rome.
Since then, the two players have not got the chance to meet on the women’s circuit because Petkovic’s ranking and performances have moved downhill, while Sakkari’s have only moved up.
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Sakkari Looking to Start Her Clay Campaign With a Win
Sakkari, who is known for using her power to dictate play from the baseline, has accomplished an impressive 12-6 win/loss record in 2021.
What’s more, she should be credited for achieving a couple of huge wins over the big names of women’s tennis, including victories over reigning Australian and US Open champion Naomi Osaka and former World No.7 Madison Keys.
While, Sakkari was successful in annihilating Keys 6-2, 6-2 in Doha, she brought an end to Osaka’s nine match winning streak during her brilliant run to the semifinals in Miami. Indeed, the hard courts of Miami also aided Sakkari’s game as she thrives on that particular surface.
In fact, Sakkari’s excellent physical conditioning and heavy groundstrokes allow her to outmuscle most rivals in long baseline rallies. Alongside her solid groundstrokes, Sakkari also employs her strong first serve as a potent weapon.
However, you don’t have to be a tennis pundit to know that Sakkari is not a clay court specialist. Certainly, the red dirt is where she struggles the most as she doesn’t move too well on clay. But, she is always willing to learn something new, something she must do this season on clay.
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Struggling Petkovic Bidding to Reclaim Lost Glory
Sakkari’s opponent in the first round of the Stuttgart Open is the former French Open semifinalist Andrea Petkovic. The German, who has fallen to 103 in the official WTA rankings, was once ranked as high as No. 9 in the world.
The main reason behind Petkovic’s downfall has been her inability to find any sort of rhythm on her groundstrokes as she is committing way too many unforced errors on the court. Moreover, she is not willing to be patient in the extended rallies from the baseline, which is a must on a surface like clay.
So far, Petkovic has put together a miserable 2-4 win/loss record in 2021. Undoubtedly, she has struggled to find form throughout the year and her only victory worthy of a mention, came in Miami, where she defeated Shuai Zhang of China in the first round.
Sakkari v Petkovic Prediction and Tip
While, there’s no doubt that Sakkari is the in-form player and has achieved a few big wins in 2021, Petkovic may well do the damage in this encounter.
The German, who has been an excellent performer on clay in the past, could very well pose some serious problems for the Greek on Monday. Surely, Sakkari would do well to close out the match in straight sets because if the contest went to a third set, then Petkovic could very well have the upper hand.
Tip: Three sets in the match: 6/4 (bet365)
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The 2021 WTA Stuttgart Open will be played from April 19 to 25. You can watch & bet on these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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