Women’s Olympic Tennis First Round – Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit taking place? Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit will take place on Saturday 24th July, 2021 at (not before) 04:30 (UK)
Where is Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit taking place? Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit will take place at Ariake Tennis Park in Tokyo
What surface is Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit played on? Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit will be played on hard courts
Where can I get tickets for Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit? There are no tickets for Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit as Olympic Tennis will take place without spectators.
What TV channel is Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit on in the UK? Olympic coverage is shared between BBC and Eurosport so it is worth checking their schedules for Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit
Where can I stream Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit in the UK? If Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit is televised on BBC then it can be streamed live on the BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website & app. If Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit is televised on Eurosport then subscribers can stream the match live on Eurosport Player
THE PREDICTION
World number 19 Maria Sakkari has enjoyed her best season so far at 25 years old and representing her country will matter no more to any player at these games. The Greek claimed her only WTA title to date back in 2019 but she has been there or thereabouts for most of this season, including reaching the Roland-Garros, Miami Open, Grampians Trophy and Abu Dhabi Open semi-finals. Whilst she struggled to make the switch from clay to grass after her French Open heartache, she is an exceptional player on hard courts and will be one to watch this week at the Tokyo Olympics. In her way is world number 28 Anett Kontaveit, also 25, who conversely thoroughly enjoyed her grass swing having finished runner-up to Jelena Ostapenko at the Eastbourne International last month. The Estonian could well have won her second WTA title at the Grampians Trophy but the final was not played as delays meant it clashed with the AUstralian Open.
There is a huge amount of history between these two players already with this their eighth meeting at tour level. Sakkari leads their head-to-head record 4-3 and was the most recent victor at the Madrid Open back in May but Kontaveit beat the Greek on a hard court in the aforementioned Grampians Trophy semi-final in February in Melbourne. Their record on hard courts is two wins apiece but Kontaveit has won both of the most recent meetings in these conditions and Sakkari’s recent form suggests there could be an upset here. This should be an intense and entertaining match in Tokyo with the winner very tough to pick. Sakkari’s fierce determination should see her take a set here even in defeat so opt for the Greek to grab at least one and leave the winner up to chance.
