23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams will be up against Greek number one Maria Sakkari in the third round of the Western & Southern Open 2020 on Tuesday, August 25. This match is scheduled to begin at 1 pm local time (6 pm BST). Get the live streaming options of this Serena Williams v Maria Sakkari match along with its preview, head to head and tips here.
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Serena Williams v Maria Sakkari Head to Head
There has been one previous outing between these two players and that came in the Hopman Cup in 2019. Serena Williams was a straight-set winner over Sakkari in that match to help USA defeat Greece.
Also Read:
Williams in a Three-Setter. Again.
Here’s Serena Williams’ record over the last few matches this year.
Matches played, seven. Three-setters played, six.
Of these six, Serena has lost three matches. And even in that seventh match where there was no third set, Serena had only won in two tie-breakers.
Since the return of tennis following the pandemic suspension, Serena has participated in four matches and each of them has gone into the third set. The last of these took Serena to the third round here but it was a match she or her opponent Arantxa Rus wouldn’t be forgetting in a hurry.
After winning the first set in a seesawing tie-breaker, Williams proceeded to lose the second before going 5-2 up in the third. Rus came back strongly to level the set at 5-5 and then broke her opponent to serve for the match.
Serena is made of champion stuff and she not only broke back but won the tie-breaker that followed 7-0.
The trouble for Serena is opponents are making it tougher for her all the time and she seems to be still some distance away from regaining full level of ‘Serena’.
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Sakkari Continues to Demolish Opponents
Not too many, including us, gave Sakkari much of a chance when she took on young talent Cori Gauff in her first round match and the bookmakers had even marked the latter as an overwhelming favourite.
Sakkari was having none of those odds and quickly took control of the match before finishing it off 6-1, 6-3 to move into the second. Here she took on Yulia Putintseva and again, there was no respite for her opponent.
While Putintseva did mount a fightback in the second set tie-breaker, Sakkari won it 11-9 to clinch the match.
Sakkari now faces a tough opponent in Serena Williams but by the looks of things, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is, Serena will continuously be attacked the way things have been last two weeks or so
Serena Williams v Maria Sakkari Prediction & Tip
Serena will continue to play favourite in this encounter but given her form we would like to back Sakkari. Sakkari to edge out Serena in a three-setter..
Tip: Sakkari to win in three sets: 9/2 (bet365)
You can watch & bet on the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday, August 25 here. Get the latest tennis predictions and tips here.
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