Anett Kontaveit vs Maria Sakkari Odds & Prediction – WTA Finals Semifinals
By Chris Amberley in Tennis
Published:
- Anett Kontaveit faces Maria Sakkari in the semifinal of the WTA Finals on Tuesday (Nov. 16th, 8:30 pm ET)
- Sakkari owns a 6-5 lifetime record versus Kontaveit, which includes a win at the Tokyo Olympics
- Read below for odds, analysis and a betting prediction
The final four is set at the prestigious WTA Finals in Guadalajara, Mexico. In one semifinal, Paula Badosa will take on Garbine Muguruza, while in the other semi Anett Kontaveit will square off against Maria Sakkari.
Kontaveit is in the midst of one of the best stretches of tennis on any woman on Tour this season, something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by oddsmakers. They’ve established her as a heavy -195 moneyline favorite over Sakkari, despite Kontaveit entering play as the lower seed, and with a lower world ranking.
Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit Odds
| Player | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| [4] Maria Sakkari | +1.5 (-175) | +155 | O 20.5 (-155) |
| [8] Anett Kontaveit | -1.5 (-105) | -195 | U 20.5 (+115) |
Odds as of November 16th at DraftKings.
Kontaveit is the first Estonian woman to make the WTA Finals and it took an incredible turnaround for her to get to this point.
Back in August, she was sitting with a record of 19-13 and staring at an early exit from a 250 series event in Cleveland. However, after dropping the first set of her Round of 32 match versus Lauren Davis, something clicked and she’s been nearly unstoppable ever since.
Kontaveit Boasts Incredible Form
Kontaveit rallied to win that match versus Davis by sweeping the next 12 games and went on to win the tournament. From there, she picked up a couple victories at the US Open before bowing out in the third round, but rebounded two weeks later by claiming a 500 series title in Ostrava.
She’d go on to later post back-to-back tournament victories in Moscow and Romania, to earn the last spot in the WTA Finals.
The winning streak continues! 🌟
🇪🇪 Anett Kontaveit defeats Pliskova in straight sets 6-4, 6-0. She advances to the @WTAFinals semifinals! 🔥#AKRONWTAFinals pic.twitter.com/QrOyVb6XJ5
— wta (@WTA) November 12, 2021
She got off to a fantastic start in Guadalajara, knocking off French Open champ Barbora Krejcikova and Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova, before dropping her final round robin match versus Muguruza. The loss versus the two-time Grand Slam winner snapped Kontaveit’s 12-match winning streak, but she’s still tasted victory in 28 of her past 31 times on court.
She’s up to a career-high world number 8 ranking, and a win over Sakkari would give her 48 victories on the season, which would tie her for the most on Tour.
Sakkari Upsets Sabalenka
Sakkari meanwhile, earned her spot in the semis by upsetting top seed Aryna Sabalenka in a three-set marathon. The match lasted nearly three hours, but Sakkari was able to erase a 3-1 deficit in the final frame by winning the last five games to pull off the upset.
The victory snapped a four-match losing streak for Sakkari versus Sabalenka, but the top seed was clearly not at her best. Sabalenka was broken eight times by Sakkari, and committed 19 double-faults.
Maria is in.
No.4 seed Maria Sakkari wins the final five games to defeat No.1 seed Aryna Sabalenka 76(1) 67(6) 63 after 2h47m and advances to the semifinals in her WTA Finals debut.
Faces Anett Kontaveit on Tuesday. #AKRONWTAFinals pic.twitter.com/8SE0S7dRb8
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) November 16, 2021
Sakkari opened the tournament by defeating 2020 French Open champ Iga Swiatek in straight sets, before falling to Badosa two days later. The 26-year-old is seeking just her second career victory, and first since 2019 in Rabat.
She boasts a 38-19 record this season, reaching the semis in four of her past five events, including the US Open. Sakkari also reached the semifinal stage at Roland Garos, but has just one finals appearance on her 2021 resume. That came in Ostrava where she lost to Tuesday’s opponent Kontaveit in straight sets.
Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit Head-to-Head
| 26 | Age | 25 |
| Athens, Greece | Birthplace | Tallinn, Estonia |
| 5-8 | Height | 5-9 |
| 1 | Career ATP Singles Titles | 5 |
| No. 6 (2021) | Career High Ranking | No. 8 (2021) |
| No. 6 | Current Ranking | No. 8 |
| $5,210,609 | Career Prize Money | $6,035,470 |
| 38-19 | 2021 Won/Loss record | 47-16 |
| 6 | Career Head to Head | 5 |
Sakkari vs Kontaveit Pick
Sakkari owns a 6-5 career record over Kontaveit, including a victory at the Tokyo Olympics. That match was prior to Kontaveit’s incredible season saving turnaround, and the way she’s playing right now it would be foolish to fade the Estonian.
Don’t look too much into Kontaveit’s round robin loss to Muguruza, as the 25-year-old had already secured her position in the semis, while the 2017 Wimbledon champ needed a victory to book her ticket.
Anett Kontaveit, the last player to qualify for Guadalajara, is the first into the semifinals.
She wins the last 8 games to beat Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-0 in 57 minutes and confirm her place in the last four.
12 consecutive wins.
Won 28 of her last 30 matches.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) November 12, 2021
Kontaveit’s best surface is hardcourt, and it’s no surprise her turnaround began once the hardcourt season started. All four of her tournament victories have come on hardcourt this season, and she’s in fantastic position to capture a fifth title this week. Take Kontaveit on the moneyline.
Pick: Anett Kontaveit moneyline (-195)
Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
