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Match Details
Fixture: (5) Maria Sakkari vs Donna Vekic
Date: Thursday, April 25
Time: Match is set to begin at 11:00 a.m. local time, 5:00 a.m. ET, 9:00 a.m. GMT, & 2:30 p.m. IST
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open
Round: Second Round
Venue: La Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Clay (Outdoor)
Prize Money: $7,877,020
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Maria Sakkari vs Donna Vekic preview
Fifth seed Maria Sakkari has been drawn against the danger Donna Vekic in the second round of the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday, April 25.
Sakkari kicked off her 2024 campaign at the United Cup with team Greece. She won all three of her singles encounters but was shown the door in the quarterfinals against a spirited German team.
Sakkari suffered a shock second-round loss at the Australian Open to Russian youngster Elina Avanesyan in straight sets. She went down in the openers of the Abu Dhabi and Qatar Open, losing to Sorana Cristea and Linda Noskova, respectively. Fortunes didn't change much in Dubai where she was brushed aside by Jasmine Paolini in the round of 16.
The Greek No. 1's fortunes changed in Indian Wells, where she reached the final on the back of some terrific wins against Caroline Garcia, Emma Navarro, and Coco Gauff. She was, however, no match for the World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the final, managing to win just four games in the entire match. She continued her good form in Miami, reaching the quarter-finals where she lost to Elena Rybakina.
Sakkari played her first match on clay this season at the Charleston Open a couple of weeks ago, reaching the last four where she lost to an in-form Danielle Collins 6-3, 6-3.
Donna Vekic also kicked off her campaign at the United Cup with Croatia, winning both her singles matches despite not progressing past the group stage.
Vekic lost in the first round of the Australian Open to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets. She made the semifinals in Linz but lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova in a three-set epic that saw two tie-breakers.
Vekic bagged one of the biggest wins of her career in Dubai where she beat World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the round of 32 before going down to Cirstea in the following round. She reached the last eight in San Diego and lost to eventual champion Katie Boulter.
She has since picked up just one win in four matches and has been marred by inconsistency.
Maria Sakkari vs Donna Vekic head-to-head
Maria Sakkari and Donna Vekic have gone up against each other nine times on tour, with the Croatian leading their head-to-head 6-3 at the moment. They played out their last encounter at the German Open in Berlin last year with Vekic winning that contest 6-4, 7-6 (8).
Maria Sakkari vs Donna Vekic odds
(Odds sourced from BetMGM)
Maria Sakkari vs Donna Vekic prediction
Maria Sakkari and Donna Vekic's encounter in Madrid promises to be an exciting one with both players walking in evenly matches.
Sakkari, however, has had a better start on the red dirt this season, having reached the semis in Charleston a couple of weeks ago. Vekic, on the other hand, was easily dismissed in her opener in Stuttgart.
Sakkari made a deep run to the semis last year and will be eager to defend those points. She's also been riding on the back of some good form ever since Indian Wells, winning six matches out of eight ever since.
Vekic, who is 9-8 on the W/L charts this season, will have to make early inroads on the Sakkari serve and hold her own from the back of the court if she is to make it through. While the odds are most in the Greek's favor, there is no discounting a surprise from the Croatian who has a knack for upsetting the higher seeds in big tournaments.
Pick: Maria Sakkari in straight sets.
