TennisSection previews the 2021 French Open as Sofia Kenin (4) meets Maria Sakkari (17) in the Round of 16 on Monday, June 7th 2021.
Will Maria Sakkari continue to play at a very high level here at Roland Garros as she aims to make her way to the Quarter-finals? Will Sofia Kenin be able to set up a rematch against, most likely, her opponent in last years Roland Garros Final, Iga Swiatek, to potentially get revenge here at the 2021 French Open? Both players can win this match if they are at their highest level, but only one will make their way to the Quarter-finals. Who will come out on top?
Maria Sakkari came through a very tight 3 set encounter against Elise Mertens in the Round of 32, beating the higher seed 7-5/6-7/6-2. Elise Mertens was strong in the first two sets, and Maria Sakkari was very good to keep the sets at 1-1, after which Sakkari just raised her level to destroy here 6-2 in the final set. Maria Sakkari is a very talented player with incredible strength and speed of her shots. This will allow her to come into matches confident in her ability to take time away from her opponents, especially on clay. However, against Sofia Kenin she will have to bring out more than just that to get the win here at the 2021 French Open.
Sofia Kenin put on a solid comeback performance in the Round of 32, beating Jessica Pegula in 3 sets 4-6/6-1/6-4. Sofia Kenin started off slowly, but when her back was against the wall she fought back in great fashion. Sofia Kenin is out here for revenge on her sad loss here last year, and she will be very determined to make her way to the Quarter-finals as she will want to give it her best shot to beat Iga Swiatek. However, before she does that, she has to beat the very in form Maria Sakkari here who can definitely cause the upset and steal her shot of the title.
Sofia Kenin and Maria Sakkari have met 3 times, with Sofia Kenin leading the head to head 2-1. They last met earlier this year in Abu Dhabi where Maria Sakkari won the match 2-6/6-2/6-0. Because of this, I think that Maria Sakkari will come out here ready to cause the upset. If Sofia Kenin won her match in 2 sets I would have been more confident in her, however, she struggled against a lower ranked opponent. Maria Sakkari however thought through a tough match against a higher ranked opponent and she was dominant in the final set. Maria Sakkari will win this tight match and make her way to the Quarter-finals of the 2021 French Open.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Maria Sakkari to Win.
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