WTA's world number one Aryna Sabalenka kicks off her 2023 WTA Finals with a match against Maria Sakkari, so what might happen here?
Maria Sakkari wasn't even supposed to play at the WTA Finals, but the withdrawal of Karolina Muchova sealed her spot at the event. The Greek player was in Forth Worth last year, so it's not like she's undeserving, and she also has a really good track record in Mexico, having won the Guadalajara Open recently.
Sabalenka has played pretty well all year long, and many expected her to be one of the likelier players to do well at the event. We haven't seen her much in Mexico, but considering her consistency this year, it's unlikely that she'll be anything but good here.
Head-to-head:
The H2H between them is pretty fascinating, as they played nine matches so far. Sabalenka leads 6-3, having won both matches this year. They actually played at the WTA Finals in 2021 and 2022, and Sabalenka won last year, while Sakkari won the previous year.
It's going to be interesting for sure, but somehow it seems much more likely that we'll see Sabalenka as the winner.
Prediction:
Consistency is obviously the crucial thing in the whole equation. Sakkari can be very streaky at times, and while her best is very dangerous, she rarely hits it. Sabalenka is far more likely to hit a higher level in this match, as she's been doing that for much of this year.
The conditions will matter a lot, and both players won't be too familiar with it. That's another thing to keep note of. I think this will be a very close match that will likely finish in three sets. In the end, I do think that Sabaelnka will win because she's the better player.
Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets.
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