The WTA Madrid third round continues on Sunday. We are down to 24 singles players in the field, moving toward the Round of 16 on Monday and Tuesday. Iga Swiatek fell ill in her third-round match on Saturday and had to retire. What will be the big story on Sunday as Madrid nears the midway point? Here are three matches on the Sunday card to look at.
WTA Madrid
Siniakova – McNally: Time 5:00 EST
H2H: 1-0
Katerina Siniakova and Caty McNally have played quality tennis in recent weeks. Siniakova is 5-2 in her last seven matches. McNally is 5-3 in her last eight matches. Siniakova, in the past month and a half, has beaten a top-10 player, Mirra Andreeva. McNally just did defeat a top-10 player, Victoria Mboko. It’s a matchup between two players going in similar directions. Will they both play at their best in this match or will one of the two lose focus?
Best Bet to Make
McNally’s win over Mboko was very impressive for sure, but Siniakova has been playing very well. It’s also notable that in recent weeks, McNally has twice beaten Katie Volynets, a player McNally has never lost to in five matches. This matchup doesn’t seem favorable for McNally. Siniakova has looked very comfortable in Europe. Against the American McNally, Siniakova should be able to dictate the pace of the match. It will be hard for McNally to get Siniakova out of rhythm.
That being said, betting on Siniakova winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Siniakova winning @2.04 @Pinnacle
Sierra – Sonmez: Time 5:00 EST
H2H: 0-0
Solana Sierra came to Madrid having lost four straight matches, but she has turned things around by winning two matches against veteran opponents Dayana Yastremska and Magdalena Frech. Winning matches after enduring a losing streak shows mental toughness, but it’s important to note that Sierra is not beating below-average players. Yastremska, in particular, is very talented. Zeynep Sonmez has won five of her last six matches. The top WTA player from Turkey has found a rhythm and will try to stay that way in Madrid.
Best Bet to Make
Sierra beating Yastremska was a notable result, and it offers reason to think she can trouble Sonmez, but her Turkish opponent is playing really well. Sonmez beat Cristina Bucsa, a Spanish player, in Spain. That was a very tough win for Sonmez, whose only loss in her last six matches came in a third-set tiebreaker against a top-30 player, Leylah Fernandez. Sierra is good, but Sonmez appears to be even better.
That being said, betting on Sonmez -2.5 games is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Sonmez -2.5 games @1.87 @1xBet
Pegula – Kostyuk: Time 8:30 EST
H2H: 4-2
Jessica Pegula has a clear goal in Madrid and Rome: to get into the top four of the WTA rankings. She has a chance with Iga Swiatek dropping points in Madrid following her retirement in the third round. Pegula could pass Swiatek before the French Open if she can do something really special in Madrid. Marta Kostyuk won the Rouen tournament and then came to Spain. She won her second-round match against Yulia Putintseva and will try to build on that result against Pegula in a very interesting battle.
Best Bet to Make
This match is probably going to be close. Pegula beat Katie Boulter – who is not an especially strong clay player – 6-4, 6-4. If Pegula could not beat Boulter by more than four games, it probably won’t be different with Kostyuk. You could take Kostyuk to win, but the safer play is to take her against the game spread.
That being said, betting on Kostyuk +2.5 games is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Kostyuk +2.5 games @1.82 @Unibet
Main Photo Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
