Serena Williams vs. Maria Sakkari – 8/25/20 Cincinnati Tennis Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Maria Sakkari and Serena Williams meet in the third round of the 2020 tennis Western & Southern Open.

Maria Sakkari is coming off a straight sets win over Yulia Putintseva that took 23 games to decide. In the victory, Sakkari won 79 percent of her first serve points and 68 percent of her second serve points. Sakkari won 74 percent of her total service points and converted on two of her four break points. Sakkari faced just one break point in the victory and hit eight aces. Sakkari has won all four sets this tournament and has split her last eight matches overall. Sakkari made the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Open last year. Sakkari has eight career wins over top-10 players. Sakkari has won four of her last five matches on hard court.

Serena Williams is coming off a three sets win over Arantxa Rus that took 35 games to decide. In the victory, Serena won 82 percent of her first serve points and 40 percent of her second serve points. Serena won 64 percent of her total service points and converted on three of her seven break points. Serena was broken four times in the victory and got just 57 percent of her first serves in play. While it was a stressful match that included two breaks, Serena got three hours of play in, which is key to knocking off the rust. Serena is a two-time winner in Cincinnati and has made the final in three of her last four appearances. Serena has won three of her last four matches on hard court.

These two have played once, which was in the 2018 Hopman Cup, a match Serena won in straight sets. The match took 21 games to be decided.

Serena and cheap prices is always worth consideration given that you’re usually having to lay crazy juice in her matches. However, Serena doesn’t have a lot of matches under her belt and just played a three hour match. Serena is also struggling with her serve, clearly dealing with rust. Sakkari has played far more recent tennis and isn’t a pushover opponent even when these two are on even playing fields.

Because of the circumstances, Sakkari and the plus money is worth a play here.