A pair of WTA Finals debutants will kick-start action on Day 2 in Guadalajara when Maria Sakkari takes on Iga Swiatek. Two players on the rise who will be keen to make their mark on the big stage. Sakkari has already defeated Swiatek twice in 2021, can she make it a third consecutive victory over the 2020 Roland Garros champion?
WTA Finals Day 2 Predictions
Maria Sakkari vs Iga Swiatek
H2H: Sakkari 2-0
Maria Sakkari has peaked at some of the biggest events in 2021, highlighted by semifinal appearances at Roland Garros and the US Open. The 26-year-old arrives in Guadalajara at a career high ranking of World #6 thanks to the best season of her career. It has been a long season for Sakkari. Deep results at the biggest events and a busy schedule will test her fitness heading into the season’s final tournament.
Iga Swiatek’s form since Roland Garros hasn’t been great, the Pole is still yet to prove herself as a top player away from the clay courts. This week looms as a big opportunity for the 20-year-old to change that. Swiatek will arrive in Guadalajara fresh having not played a match since a disappointing straight set loss to Jelena Ostapenko at Indian Wells almost a month ago.
Sakkari has won both of the previous matches between the pair, both in straight sets. A 6-4 6-4 win in the Roland Garros quarterfinals this year, followed by a 6-4 7-5 win in Ostrava.
I’m going to give the slight edge to Swiatek despite the negative head-to-head record. There’s a lot of similarities in the way these two go about their tennis–two of the heaviest forehands on tour are the highlights of their games. Swiatek arguably does most things a little better than Sakkari. Therefore, it would be surprising to see her lose three consecutive matches to the Greek in the same season. Swiatek is seemingly the fresher of the two heading into this tournament and has a point to prove in this matchup.
Prediction: Swiatek in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
