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Match details
Fixture: Angelique Kerber vs Maria Sakkari
Tournament: Western & Southern Open
Round: First round (Round of 64)
Venue: Cincinnati, United States
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor hard
Prize money: $1,835,490
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Angelique Kerber vs Maria Sakkari preview
Angelique Kerber will take on Maria Sakkari in the first round of the 2021 Western and Southern Open.
Kerber started the year by making the quarterfinals of the Grampians Trophy in Melbourne. But she failed to kick on and posted mediocre results up until the Bad Homburg Open, where she won her 13th career title.
She also advanced to the semifinals of Wimbledon for the first time since winning it in 2018. The three-time Grand Slam champion then withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics due to fatigue, meaning she has not played a match in over a month.
Twice a finalist (2012 & 2016) in Cincinnati, Kerber will be hoping to kick-start her American hard-court season with some strong performances in the WTA 1000 event.
Her first-round opponent, Maria Sakkari, has enjoyed quite a successful season. Sakkari advanced to the semifinals in Abu Dhabi, Miami and at the Grampians Trophy in Melbourne.
She also made the last four at a Grand Slam for the first time in her career at Roland Garros. On the back of her impressive results, Sakkari rose to a career-high ranking of no.18 earlier this year.
The Greek also made her Olympic debut in Tokyo last month, losing in the third round to eventual bronze-medalist Elina Svitolina.
Angelique Kerber vs Maria Sakkari head-to-head
Angelique Kerber and Maria Sakkari have met thrice before, and it's the German who leads the head-to-head 2-1. However, Sakkari won their most recent meeting in straight sets at the Grampians Trophy earlier this year.
Angelique Kerber vs Maria Sakkari prediction
While Angelique Kerber possesses exceptional defensive skills, Maria Sakkari boasts heavy groundstrokes that can cause problems for any opponent.
Sakkari has the superior serve of the two players and can hit a fair number of aces. Double faults are a problem for both players and they'll look to avoid leaking too many of those.
Kerber's ability to put balls back into play and find sharp angles from the baseline will undoubtedly trouble Sakkari. But the German might be rusty after a month-long absence from the game.
If Sakkari can keep her composure during the decisive moments and limit the unforced errors, she should be able to come through this contest.
Prediction: Maria Sakkari to win in straight sets.
