Maria Sakkari vs Irina-Camelia Begu Odds & Prediction – WTA Madrid Open Quarterfinals
- Greece’s Maria Sakkari is the -155 favorite over Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu in their WTA Madrid Open quarterfinal match on Tuesday, May 2
- World #9 Sakkari is 2-1 all-time in head-to-head against Begu in meetings on the WTA Tour
- The Greek player is 7-2 in her last nine matches on clay-court surfaces. We have the Sakkari vs Begu prediction here
Former world #2 Maria Sakkari appears to be rediscovering her game on the clay courts of Madrid and that could be bad news for Irina-Camelia Begu who is an underdog in the Sakkari vs Begu odds on Tuesday.
Greece’s Sakkari, the world’s #9 player, has won three matches in a row to advance to a quarterfinal meeting with Begu. Sakkari had bowed out in the first match in three of he last four tennis tournaments.
Oddsmakers are setting Sakkari as the -155 to win this match. She’s 2-1 in three previous meetings with Begu.
Maria Sakkari vs Irina-Camelia Begu Odds
| Player | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| [9] Maria Sakkari (GRE) | -2.5 (-110) | -155 | O 21.5 (-120) |
| [31] Irina-Camelia Begu (ROM) | +2.5 (-125) | +125 | U 21.5 (-115) |
At +125, Begu is given a solid underdog betting line in the WTA Madrid odds. The spread is -2.5 in favor of Sakkari. The over/under on the match total is set at 21.5 games. This match is slated for a 2:00pm ET start on Tuesday, May 2.
Odds as of May 1 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Sakkari Sends Last Spaniard Packing
Sakkari doesn’t figure to be a fan favorite following her performance in the Round of 16. She downed Paula Badosa in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, thus sending the last Spanish player in the tournament packing.
Maria Sakkari handing out wristbands to some young fans in Madrid. She probably made their whole year. 🥰
Character is what you do when you think no one is watching.
With her back to the camera, Maria’s character is heartwarming to see. 🇬🇷
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 1, 2023
In the Madrid Round of 16 for the second successive year, the Greek player was 2-for-3 on break points, while Badosa went 0-for-3. Sakkari hit five aces and committed one double-fault, compared to the five double faults of her Spanish opponent.
Ninth-seeded Sakkari displayed a 78-55% edge in second service points and an a 21-16 advantage in receiving points won.
Begu At Her Best On Clay
Veteran Begu, 32, the No. 31 seed, maintained control throughout in her Round of 16 match against Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova. World #35 Begu held a 79-60% edge in first service points. The Romanian won for of six break points and held a 3-0 verdict in aces.
Sakkari vs Begu Match History
| Year | Tournament | Surface | Score | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | St. Petersburg (SF) | Indoor Hard | 6-4, 6-6(4), 6-4 | Sakkari |
| 2018 | Seoul (QF) | Outdoor Hard | 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 | Sakkari |
| 2016 | Miami (R128) | Outdoor Hard | 6-1, 6-3 | Begu |
Begu has yet to drop a set in Madrid. She bettered unseeded Karolina Muchova (6-4, 7-5) and #33 seed Shelby Rogers (7-5, 6-2) prior to her dispatching of 14th-seeded Samsonova. However, the veteran player has never won a WTA Masters event. She was just 7-7 on the season coming into Madrid.
Sakkari will be making her 10th quarterfinal appearance in a WTA clay-court tournament, but her first-ever at Madrid. Begu’s two most recent WTA tourney titles – last year in Palermo and 2017 in Bucharest – came on clay-court surfaces.
Begu is a player who seeks to capitalize on the miscues of her opponent, so as long as her Greek opponent stays on top of her game, chances are she’ll be the one coming out ahead in this match.
Sakkari vs Begu Head-to-Head
| 27 (July 24, 1995) | Age | 32 (Aug. 25, 1990) |
| Athens, Greece | Birthplace | Bucharest, Romania |
| 5-8 | Height | 5-11 |
| 1 | Career ATP Singles Titles | 5 |
| 3 (March 20, 2022) | Career-Best Ranking | 22 (Aug. 21, 2016) |
| 9 | Current Ranking | 35 |
| $9,065,134 | Career Earnings | $7,306,840 |
| 18-8 | 2023 Won/Loss Record | 10-7 |
| 2 | ATP Main Draw Head-to-Head Wins | 1 |
Sakkari vs Begu Prediction
Each of these players are displaying solid performance records of late on clay-court surfaces. Sakkari is 7-2 in her last nine matches on the surface. Begu has won 25 out of 31 on clay, including a 22-5 slate last year.
However, all three prior meetings between the two players came on hard courts. The Romanian has dropped the last two encounters, but both were requiring three sets to determine a winner
Both players have gone over 18.5 games in each of their last eight matches so we’ll back the over in our Sakkari vs Begu prediction.
Sakkari vs Begu Pick: Sakkari (-155); Sakkari 2-1 (+280)
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An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
