WTA Finals 2022: Maria Sakkari vs Caroline Garcia preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (5) Maria Sakkari vs (6) Caroline Garcia.
Date: November 6, 2022.
Tournament: WTA Finals 2022.
Round: Semifinal.
Venue: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, United States.
Category: Year-ending championships.
Surface: Hardcourt.
Prize money: $5,000,000.
Match timing: Not before 3:30 pm local time, 4:30 pm ET, 8:30 pm GMT, and 2 am IST.
Live telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video.
Maria Sakkari vs Caroline Garcia preview
Maria Sakkari and Caroline Garcia will square off in the semifinals of the 2022 WTA Finals on Sunday.
Sakkari scored straight-sets victories over Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka to top her group and book her berth in the semifinals. She was up against 2022 US Open and Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur in her last group tie.
Sakkari got off to a hot start in the first set as she quickly raced to a 5-1 lead. She had a minor hiccup after that as she lost serve while trying to close out the set. However, the Greek broke her opponent's serve once again to clinch the opener.
Sakkari snagged an early break in the second set to go 3-1 up. She maintained the lead to win the match 6-2, 6-3. This will be her second semifinal appearance here, following her previous last-four finish in 2021.
Garcia defeated Coco Gauff to kick off her WTA Finals campaign but lost to Iga Swiatek in her next match. She took on Daria Kasatkina in the final match of the round-robin stage, with the winner sealing their place in the last four.
Kasatkina drew first blood in the opening set to go 2-1 up, but Garcia won the next three games in a row to lead 4-2. The Russian bagged four consecutive games after that to take the set.
The second set was quite lop-sided, with Garcia winning it for the loss of just one game to take the match to a decider. The French player led by a break twice in the third set, but Kasatkina managed to get back on serve on each occasion. The Russian even saved six break points in the ninth game for a tough service hold.
The set soon went into a tie-break, with Garcia gaining the upper hand to complete a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(5) comeback win. She has made the semifinals here for the second time as well, reaching this stage back in 2017 during her maiden appearance.
Maria Sakkari vs Caroline Garcia head-to-head
Garcia leads Sakkari 2-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2022 Western & Southern Open in three sets.
Maria Sakkari vs Caroline Garcia odds
(Odds sourced from Draftkings Sportsbook)
Maria Sakkari vs Caroline Garcia prediction
Sakkari has played some of her best tennis at the WTA Finals so far. After a tough few months, she has turned her season around by performing quite well over the last few weeks. She was quite solid against Jabeur in the previous round and coupled with the Tunisian's poor form, was never really in danger of losing.
Garcia needed to dig deep to defeat Kasatkina and make the last four here. She raised her level considerably over the last two sets with some fine shotmaking. She struck 42 winners, but also committed 48 unforced errors.
Sakkari has served really well all week long and has been muscling her forehand quite beautifully. Garcia has the potential to challenge the Greek on serve thanks to her ultra-aggressive stance on return and overall gameplay. However, the French player looked quite winded after her battle with Kasatkina.
Sakkari has often crumbled in the latter stages of tournaments. If she's able to maintain her composure, her current form should carry her into the final. If not, Garcia might find a way to come out on top.
Pick: Maria Sakkari to win in three sets.