US Open 2021: Maria Sakkari vs Emma Raducanu preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (17) Maria Sakkari vs (Q) Emma Raducanu
Date: 9 September 2021
Tournament: US Open 2021
Round: Semifinals
Venue: New York, United States
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $40,560,000
Match timing: Approx. 9 pm local time, 1 am GMT, 6.30 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio/ Amazon Prime Video | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Maria Sakkari vs Emma Raducanu preview
17th seed Maria Sakkari will take on British qualifier Emma Raducanu in the semifinals of the 2021 US Open on Thursday. Sakkari prevailed against Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals, while Raducanu pulled off a 6-3, 6-4 upset of No. 11 seed Belinda Bencic.
Maria Sakkari had a positive start to the 2021 season; she made the quarterfinals in Doha and went a step further in Miami and at the Grampians Trophy. Sakkari did face some early exits during the clay swing, but put together a terrific run at Roland Garros; she reached her maiden Slam semifinal in Paris before losing to eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova.
The World No. 18 posted average results in the subsequent tournaments, and on her Olympic debut went down in the third round to bronze medalist Elina Svitolina. But Sakkari has made huge strides this fortnight in New York, and will be hoping to qualify for her first Major final on Thursday.
Awaiting her in the semifinals is teenage sensation Emma Raducanu, who has become the first qualifier in history to make the US Open semifinals.
Raducanu had stormed onto the scene at Wimbledon earlier this year, where she reached the fourth round on debut. The Brit then played a couple of lower-tier events to warm up for the US Open; she made the quarterfinals at an ITF tournament before advancing to the final of the Chicago Challenger.
At the US Open, Raducanu hasn't lost a set in eight matches so far (including qualifying). The 18-year-old is now bidding to become the youngest champion here since Serena Williams in 1999.
Maria Sakkari vs Emma Raducanu head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between Maria Sakkari and Emma Raducanu, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Maria Sakkari vs Emma Raducanu prediction
Maria Sakkari and Emma Raducanu both like to attack from the baseline. While Sakkari relies on her heavy groundstrokes to rack up the winners, Raducanu has incredible shot tolerance and also likes to take the ball early to turn defense into offense.
Both women have been serving tremendously well this fortnight. In the quarterfinals, Sakkari didn't concede a single break point and lost just two points on her first serve. Raducanu, on her part, struck six aces against Bencic and got broken just once.
The Greek, however, has faced trouble staying consistent on serve before, and has also been prone to mental lapses in the crunch moments. If Raducanu withstands Sakkari's powerful groundstrokes and stays assertive during the rallies while keeping her unforced errors under control, she should be able to come through with a win.
Prediction: Emma Raducanu to win in three sets.