Match Details
Fixture: (4) Maria Sakkari vs Marta Kostyuk.
Date: October 18, 2022.
Tournament: Guadalajara Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 32).
Venue: Panamerican Tennis Center, Guadalajara, Mexico.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Hardcourt.
Prize money: $2,527,250.
Match timing: Not before 7 pm local time, 12 am GMT, 8 pm ET and 5:30 am IST.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video.
Maria Sakkari vs Marta Kostyuk preview
After a first-round bye, fourth seed Maria Sakkari will take on World No. 58 Marta Kostyuk in the second round of the 2022 Guadalajara Open on Tuesday.
Sakkari enjoyed a strong start to the year, but has underperformed in most of the tournaments over the past few months. Around half of her 33 wins this season came during the first three months of the year. The Greek reached her first final since Indian Wells in Parma last month, but lost to Mayar Sherif.
Sakkari then competed in Ostrava, but was stunned by qualifier Alycia Parks in the second round. At last week's San Diego Open, she lost to Donna Vekic in the first round in straight sets.
She needs a good result this week to qualify for the WTA Finals, where she made the semifinals last year.
Marta Kostyuk kicked off her campaign in Guadalajara against Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the first round. She snagged an early break to go 2-0 up, but her opponent broke back immediately to get back on serve. The Ukrainian then won the next four games in a row to clinch the opening set.
Kostyuk started the second set by securing a break of serve in the very first game, but Sasnovich leveled the score to make it 1-1. She once again went up a break, but failed to hold on to her advantage as her opponent tied the score yet again.
The Ukrainian then raised her level in the closing stages of the match and ran away with the last three games to win 6-1, 6-3.
Maria Sakkari vs Marta Kostyuk head-to-head
Sakkari leads Kostyuk 1-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2021 US Open in straight sets.
Maria Sakkari vs Marta Kostyuk odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Maria Sakkari vs Marta Kostyuk prediction
Kostyuk looked extremely solid in her opening-round contest against Sasnovich, capitalizing on her opponent's countless wild misses. Given her next opponent's recent form, she has a good shot at defeating her as well.
Sakkari is currently on a three-match losing streak and is under immense pressure to qualify for the WTA Finals. A win would put her in eighth position in the race for the year-end championships, though Veronika Kudermetova could jump in front of her once again with a win of her own.
Sakkari is known to crumble in high-stakes matches like this one. She usually falters during the latter stages of a tournament, but this is no ordinary second-round match for her. Kostyuk has blown hot and cold this season, so even with her struggles, the Greek should be able to get past her.
Pick: Maria Sakkari to win in three sets.
