Women’s Olympic Tennis Round of 16 – Maria Sakkari vs Elina Svitolina Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Maria Sakkari vs Elina Svitolina taking place? Maria Sakkari vs Elina Svitolina will take place on Tuesday 27th July, 2021 at (not before) 06:00 (UK)
Where is Maria Sakkari vs Elina Svitolina taking place? Maria Sakkari vs Elina Svitolina will take place at Ariake Tennis Park in Tokyo
What surface is Maria Sakkari vs Elina Svitolina played on? Maria Sakkari vs Elina Svitolina will be played on hard courts
Where can I get tickets for Maria Sakkari vs Elina Svitolina? There are no tickets for Maria Sakkari vs Elina Svitolina as Olympic Tennis will take place without spectators.
What TV channel is Maria Sakkari vs Elina Svitolina on in the UK? Olympic coverage is shared between BBC and Eurosport so it is worth checking their schedules for Maria Sakkari vs Elina Svitolina
Where can I stream Maria Sakkari vs Elina Svitolina in the UK? If Maria Sakkari vs Elina Svitolina is televised on BBC then it can be streamed live on the BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website & app. If Maria Sakkari vs Elina Svitolina is televised on Eurosport then subscribers can stream the match live on Eurosport Player
THE PREDICTION
World number 18 Maria Sakkari is fighting tooth and nail for a medal at her first Olympic Games. The 25-year-old has won both her matches in straight sets over Anett Kontaveit and Nina Stojanovic so far and is excellent over three if and when that occasion arises. She will face the world number six Elina Svitolina after the 26-year-old won her second-successive match in three sets against Ajla Tomjlanovic on Tuesday to reach the round of 16 at the Olympic Games for a second time. Svitolina famously beat then world number one Serena Williams at Rio 2016 at this stage of the tournament five years ago.
Svitolina won her first encounter with Maria Sakkari in the third round of Wimbledon back in 2019 but since then Sakkari has taken the lead 2-1 in their head-to-head record with two wins on hard courts at the 2019 Silicon Valley Classic and last year’s Ostrava Open. Both of those tournaments saw Svitolina fall as the first seed to Sakkari and the Greek should be able to overpower the Ukrainian here once more, especially if it comes to a third set. Sakkari looks like she wants this more than any other player on court so take her as the outright winner of a match that will probably need a decider.
