Pliskova and Konta Face Off at 2019 Italian Open Finals – Odds & Pick
- No. 7-ranked Karolina Pliskova will be facing No. 42-ranked Johanna Konta in the finals of The Italian Open
- Johanna Konta provided a huge upset beating Kiki Bertens in the semi-finals
- Konta is the first British woman to reach the Italian Open final since Virgina Wade in 1971
Going into the finals of the Italian Open on Sunday, Karolina Pliskova is the obvious favourite, with the higher rank and the better overall record. But with Johanna Konta beating favourite Kiki Bertens, anything can happen with that momentum.
2019 Odds to win the Italian Open Final
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Johanna Konta | +134 |
| Karolina Pliskova | -154 |
*Odds taken May 18, 2019
Both players’ odds to win the Italian Open have changed drastically, with Pliskova going into the tournament at +1850 and tied for eighth, and Konta not even cracking the top 10.
Konta’s Huge Win
To make it to the finals, Konta had to upset Kiki Bertens, and that she did. After an impressive clay court season so far, Bertens was a heavy favourite against Konta, having won eight straight matches on clay, including the Madrid Open.
This win was Konta’s first win over a top-5 seeded player since beating Simona Halep in 2017 at Wimbledon.
Pliskova’s Semi-Final Straight Set Win
Pliskova was at ease in the semi-finals, where she beat Maria Sakkari of Greece, 6-4 6-4. Pliskova was nearly unbreakable in the match, showing the world that she should never be counted out when playing on clay.
🎯 @KaPliskova #ibi19 #tennis pic.twitter.com/r4Je4KB2oT
— Internazionali BNL d'Italia (@InteBNLdItalia) May 18, 2019
If Pliskova is able to be as dominant as she was on Saturday, then she should be the one to win the International BNL d’Italia.
Head-to-Head
Pliskova and Konta have met five times, with Pliskova taking four of those five matches. The most recent meeting was in Beijing in 2016, where Konta won in three sets. This will be their first meeting on clay, and their five previous matches have needed three sets to decide a winner.
The head-to-head matchup is hard to analyze with these two players not seeing each other in a few years. Konta has definitely changed as a player and has become a much more confident player, but the tennis world still suggests that it is Pliskova that has the edge going into Sunday.
This is hands down Konta’s biggest match since winning the Miami Open in 2017. As for Pliskova, she has played her fair share of tough matches in the past, and this one will be no different.
Konta will now be seeded for Roland Garros after her performance at the Italian Open, and has also put herself in a great position to be seeded at Wimbledon.
🤯MIND-BLOWING!🤯 #ibi19 pic.twitter.com/h6WWtXwRkz
— Internazionali BNL d'Italia (@InteBNLdItalia) May 18, 2019
Sunday will be an interesting match between these two players, and it’s likely it will take three sets to decide the outcome. They might not have been the two names you were expecting to be here, but because neither of them is extremely favorited over the other, it should be a good match to watch.
Pick: Pliskova (-154)
A graduate of Sport Media at Ryerson University, Hayley is the ultimate student of sports. Whether she is playing it, watching it, debating it, or writing it, it's safe to assume sport consumes the majority of her life. She has worked both internationally and with the NBA.
