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Match Details
Fixture: (4) Maria Sakkari vs (5) Caroline Garcia
Date: September 29, 2023
Tournament: Toray Pan Pacific Open 2023
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Tokyo, Japan
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $780,637
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Maria Sakkari vs Caroline Garcia preview
Fourth seed Maria Sakkari will take on Caroline Garcia in the quarterfinals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
The Greek entered the WTA 500 tournament after winning her maiden WTA 1000 title in Guadalajara and received a bye to the second round.
Here, she faced World No. 331 Misaki Doi and made the first break of the match in the third game of the first set. This turned out to be decisive, as the Greek won the set 6-3.
Sakkari dominated the second set as she broke early and cruised to a 3-0 lead. She broke Doi's serve again to take a 5-1 lead before holding serve to win the set 6-1 and book her place in the quarterfinals in Tokyo.
Caroline Garcia was seeded fifth at the Toray Pan Pacific Open but received a bye to the second round by virtue of being one of the two semifinalists at the Guadalajara Open.
The Frenchwoman faced Italian Open runner-up Anhelina Kalinina in the Round of 16 in Tokyo and broke early in the first set to lead 2-0. The Ukrainian managed to break her back before Garcia did the same in the last game of the set and won 6-4.
The second set looked very competitive until Garcia broke serve to lead 5-3. She then held her serve to win 6-3 and seal her spot in the quarterfinals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
Maria Sakkari vs Caroline Garcia head-to-head
Garcia leads 3-2 in the head-to-head record against Sakkari. The last match between the two came in the semifinals of the Guadalajara Open, with the Greek winning 6-3, 6-0.
Maria Sakkari vs Caroline Garcia odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Maria Sakkari vs Caroline Garcia prediction
Sakkari will enter the match as the favorite to win, especially after thrashing Garcia in their last encounter in Guadalajara.
However, the Frenchwoman should not be written off, as she is more than capable of giving the Greek a run for her money.
Sakkari was very solid on her first serve during her match against Doi, winning 20 out of 23 points with four aces to her name. She was also quite strong on the Japanese's second serve, winning ten out of 14 points there.
The Greek has an aggressive game and is among the most powerful strikers of a tennis ball at the moment. She also has an effective serve and will look to serve as many aces as she can.
Garcia served ten aces in her match against Anhelina Kalinina and will aim to fetch as many of them as she can against Sakkari. The 29-year-old will go for an aggressive approach from the start of the match and dictate points from the back of the court.
Eventually, it could well come down to whichever player remains composed on court. While Garcia is capable of winning, Sakkari looks in good touch after her triumph in Guadalajara and could well manage to come out on top.
Pick: Sakkari to win in three sets.
