Canadian Open 2022: Maria Sakkari vs Sloane Stephens preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Maria Sakkari vs Sloane Stephens
Date: August 10, 2022
Tournament: Canadian Open 2022
Round: Second round (Round of 32)
Venue: Toronto, Canada
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $2,697,250
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - Sportsnet, TVA Sports | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Maria Sakkari vs Sloane Stephens preview
Third seed Maria Sakkari will face off against wild card entrant Sloane Stephens in the second round of the Canadian Open on Wednesday.
Sakkari has had a reasonable season so far. She has reached a career-high ranking of World No. 3 and has accumulated 27 wins while facing 15 defeats. The Greek player hasn’t been fortunate on the title front, winning her sole WTA title at the 2019 Morocco Open.
Sakkari, however, has reached some noteworthy stages in various tournaments in 2022. After a fourth-round exit at the Australian Open, Sakkari made it to the final of the St. Petersburg Open where she faced a tough loss against second seed Anett Kontaveit 5-7, 7-6(4), 7-5.
Anett Kontaveit defeats Maria Sakkari 5-7 7-6(4) 7-5 in 3 hours to win St Petersburg.
Tough, tough match. Sakkari served for the title at 5-3 but froze. Kontaveit has now won 5 titles since the second half of last year and she will now rise to a career high of #6.
She has since made the quarterfinals of the Italian Open and the Nottingham Open, the semifinals of the Qatar Open and the German Open as well as her first final of a WTA 1000 event at Indian Wells, where she was outdone by Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-1 for a second time in a row after her Qatar Open loss to the Pole.
Sakkari received a bye in the first round of the Canadian Open.
Sloane Stephens, meanwhile, has registered a mere 10 wins this season against 11 losses. The World No. 59 has still managed to win a title by emerging victorious against Marie Bouzkova 7-5, 1-6, 6-2 at Abierto Zapopan in Mexico earlier this year.
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GUADALAJARA CHAMPION | Sloane Stephens secured her seventh career title and first since Miami 2018 with a fine 7-5, 1-6, 6-2 win over Marie Bouzkova.
Stephens, a former world No 3, will be back inside the top 40 after her successful outing in Mexico. 👊🏾
📸 | Refugio Ruiz [AP] https://t.co/E06kRLwQ56
Stephens has since suffered many first-round losses but was able to grab a spot in the final eight of the French Open, where she went down 7-5, 6-2 against compatriot Coco Gauff.
In the first round of the Canadian Open, the American defeated compatriot and fellow Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin in a grueling three-hour match. She needed six match points over the last two sets to finally get over the line.
A thrilling 3-hour win from @SloaneStephens in a topsy-turvy match 🌧
She defeats Kenin 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5 and moves into the 2R in Toronto!
#NBO22 https://t.co/czbMhsnuYT
Maria Sakkari vs Sloane Stephens head-to-head
Sakkari and Stephens are yet to compete against each other and their head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Maria Sakkari vs Sloane Stephens odds
(All odds are sourced from Bet365)
Maria Sakkari vs Sloane Stephens prediction
This promises to be a gripping contest between the Greek and the American.
Sakkari is known for her aggressive gamestyle. She is an all-court player and banks on her strong serve and powerful ground strokes to win points against her opponents.
Stephens is mainly a baseliner who displays effortless power with her shot-making. She relies on her forehand and at times, runs around her backhand to hit her more favorable stroke.
Six of the American’s seven titles have come on this surface, including the 2017 US Open.
However, observing her previous encounter, the Grand Slam winner may have a tough time closing out.
Pick: Sakkari to win in three sets.