Guadalajara Open 2022: Maria Sakkari vs Marie Bouzkova preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (4) Maria Sakkari vs Marie Bouzkova.
Date: October 22, 2022.
Tournament: Guadalajara Open 2022.
Round: Semifinals.
Venue: Panamerican Tennis Center, Guadalajara, Mexico.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Hardcourt.
Prize money: $2,527,250.
Match timing: Not before 7 pm local time, 12 am GMT, 8 pm ET and 5:30 am IST.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video.
Maria Sakkari vs Marie Bouzkova preview
World No. 6 Maria Sakkari will square off against Marie Bouzkova in the semifinals of the 2022 Guadalajara Open on Saturday.
Sakkari defeated Marta Kostyuk and Danielle Collins to reach the quarterfinals, where Veronika Kudermetova awaited her. A spot in the WTA Finals was also on the line for the winner.
She was off to a hot start as she raced to a 5-0 lead. Kudermetova halted her opponent's momentum with a hold of serve to make it 5-1, but the Greek served out the set with ease in the next game to take it. Both players had a few break point opportunities early on in the second set but failed to make the most of their chances.
With Sakkari serving to stay in the set at 6-5, Kudermetova broke her serve to clinch the second set. The Greek started the final set with a break of serve and extended her lead to 2-0 with a hold of serve. The Russian had four break points to get back on serve in the fourth game but squandered them all.
Sakkari held onto the lead until the end of the match. She stepped up to serve for the match at 5-4 and after saving a break point, wrapped up the proceedings to win 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.
Marie Bouzkova defeated Tereza Martincova, Camila Osorio and Liudmila Samsonova to reach the quarterfinals, where she was up against Anna Kalinskaya.
Bouzkova went up a break to lead 2-1 in the first set, but Kalinskaya leveled the score immediately. The Czech then broke her opponent's serve twice to go 5-2 up. Unfortunately, the Russian was unable to continue after this point and was forced to retire due to an injury, sending Bouzkova into the semifinals.
Maria Sakkari vs Marie Bouzkova head-to-head
Sakkari leads Bouzkova 2-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2021 Canadian Open after the Czech retired midway through the second set.
Maria Sakkari vs Marie Bouzkova odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Maria Sakkari vs Marie Bouzkova prediction
Since the start of the tournament, Sakkari has been under immense pressure to do well here as a spot in the WTA Finals was on the line. Now that's done and dusted, she can play with even more freedom. She was pushed to three sets in her last couple of matches but showed great composure to overcome her opponents.
Against Kudermetova in the quarterfinals, Sakkari saved 14/15 break points that she faced. Bouzkova didn't get a chance to properly test herself against Kalinskaya, who ended up retiring in the quarterfinals. Nevertheless, the Czech has lost just one set in the tournament so far and has been playing quite well.
Bouzkova might end up giving Sakkari a tough time due to the variety in her game. However, the Greek seems to be on a mission this week and should be able to make it to the title round in the end.
Pick: Maria Sakkari to win in three sets.