Berlin 2024: Victoria Azarenka vs Zeynep Sonmez preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | ecotrans Ladies Open
Match Details
Fixture: Victoria Azarenka vs (Q) Zeynep Sonmez
Date: June 19, 2024
Tournament: ecotrans Ladies Open 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Rot-Weiss Tennis Club, Berlin, Germany
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Grass
Prize Money: $922,573
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports
Victoria Azarenka vs Zeynep Sonmez preview
Former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka will square off against Zeynep Sonmez in the second round of the 2024 ecotrans Ladies Open on Wednesday.
Azarenka commenced her quest for a title in Berlin against seventh seed Maria Sakkari. Both players had break point opportunities at the start of the first set, though neither capitalized on their chances.
Azarenka stepped up her game as she nabbed a break in the seventh game to go 4-3 up. She didn't squander her lead and captured the set soon after that. She was off to a quick start in the second set as she broke Sakkari's serve twice to secure a 4-0 lead.
Sakkari couldn't find a way to crawl out of that deficit and while she saved a match point on her serve in the seventh game, it only delayed the inevitable. Azarenka closed out the match in the next game for a 6-4, 6-2 win.
Sonmez secured three-set wins over Dayana Yastremska and Emina Bektas to book her place in the main draw. She took on lucky loser Arantxa Rus in the first round.
Sonmez went down a break in the first set, and while she had a few break point chances to get back on serve, she wasted them all and lost the set. She got back on track in the second set as she went 4-0 up.
Rus briefly halted her momentum by going on a two-game run but Sonmez bagged the next couple of games to take the set. She conceded only one game in the third set to wrap up a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 comeback win.
Victoria Azarenka vs Zeynep Sonmez head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Victoria Azarenka vs Zeynep Sonmez odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Victoria Azarenka vs Zeynep Sonmez prediction
Azarenka tallied the 80th top-10 win of her career by beating Sakkari in the previous round. She didn't lose her serve even once and won 82 percent of her first serve points.
Sonmez scored her first main draw win of the year as she ousted Rus in the first round. All of her wins in Berlin so far have come in three sets. She has already defeated three top-100 players this week, including a top-30 player, Yastremska, in the qualifying rounds.
However, Azarenka is going to be a huge step up in competition for the young Sonmez. She hasn't competed against players of her caliber so far in her career. Given how the Belarusian played against Sakkari, she's likely to deal with the 22-year-old similarly.
Pick: Victoria Azarenka to win in straight sets.