World number three and defending Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka will take on Greek world number 23 Maria Sakkari in their first round match at the 2020 WTA Brisbane. The match is still to be scheduled and the Naomi Osaka v Maria Sakkari live streaming options along with its preview, head to head and tips here.
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Naomi Osaka v Maria Sakkari Head to Head
There have been three matches played between these two player and Osaka leads 2-1. It began in Indian Wells in 2018, with Osaka registering a three-set win before Sakkari came back to level the scoreline with a straight-set victory at Cincinnati that very year. They featured in another match last year as well, on the grass of Birmingham where Osaka needed three sets yet again to usurp the Greek.
Osaka Hoping for a Repeat of Season-Ending Showing
Ranked third in the world, Osaka began her 2019 rather well with an Australian Open triumph but the performances soon tapered off after that. A third round loss at the French Open, an opening defeat at Wimbledon and a round of 16 appearance at the US Open did not add a lot of sparkle to Osaka’s otherwise burgeoning resume which had already seen her win two majors.
It took her until after the US Open series to regain some of that lost mojo, as she went on to win the title in Osaka and then made it two in two at the China Open. What would have pleased her no ends at Beijing is wins over Bianca Andreescu, Caroline Wozniacki and Ash Barty, the last of which came in the final.
A semifinalist in Brisbane last season, Osaka will be gunning for another deeper run in Brisbane as she fine tunes her game for the Australian Open.
Sakkari Looks to Build on a Solid 2019
After struggling for a few seasons on the lower circuit, Sakkari finally had what one could describe as a breakthrough year in 2019. She finished with a win-loss record of 35-24, which her first ever WTA title win in Rabat.
That, however, also gives rise to a worry. The Rabat win came on clay, a surface the Greek has enjoyed playing on and also where she had a 15-5 win-loss record. Hard and indoors combined, she lost more than she won and on grass she was 5-4. All of this is an indicator of how Sakkari’s end to the season wasn’t just a matter of season-ending fatigue but her general struggles on those surfaces.
The 23rd-ranked Sakkari suffered four successive defeats, albeit to high-ranked players, to end her 2019 and coming up against Osaka could only add to her woes.
Naomi Osaka v Maria Sakkari Predictions & Tips
Osaka starts off as a huge favourite in this one despite playing against a player ranked as high as 23rd in the world. The Japanese player is coming off a 29-7 record on hard courts, has won both her Grand Slams on the same surface and against a player who has generally struggled on it, should be a comfortable winner.
Tip: Osaka to win in straight sets: 1/1 (Click here to get these odds with bet365)
You can watch & bet on Naomi Osaka v Maria Sakkari on Sunday, January 5 here. . Get the latest tennis predictions and tips here.
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