Elena Rybakina vs Maria Sakkari WTA Finals Prediction – Tennis Picks 10-31-2023

Elena Rybakina will square off against Maria Sakkari in the second group-stage match at the 2023 WTA Finals. The match will be played on Tuesday, October 31, 2023.

Elena Rybakina’s debut at the 2023 WTA Finals did not go as planned, as the Kazakh fell to a straight sets defeat to Jessica Pegula. Rybakina appeared to be the first player to settle into the newly minted court in Cancun, breaking Pegula’s serve late in the first set and serving for it. But the errors began to creep into her game and lost 10 of the final 12 games of the match. Her serve hardly clicked, which could be attributed to the windy conditions in the coastal city. Rybakina landed just 58% first serves and won 56% first-serve points. And against one of the best returners on the women’s tour, she paid a heavy price, losing five service games, and the match.

Maria Sakkari, meanwhile, fared even worse. Called in to deputize for the injured Karolina Muchova, Sakkari’s unbeaten run in Mexico was ended by World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a truly one-sided contest that finished 6-0, 6-1 in the Belarusian’s favor. The Greek star doesn’t have time to reflect and dwell on that performance and will need a concise game plan for a crucial group-stage match on Tuesday against Elena Rybakina. A defeat there will most likely send her home.

The head-to-head between Elena Rybakina and Maria Sakkari is tied at 1-1. Their last meeting was at the 2022 Indian Wells where the Athenian won in straight sets. Both players are coming off disappointing performances and it remains to be seen if Sakkari can dust herself up from an abject display. It is going to hurt particularly when you consider her fondness for Mexico. Rybakina does have the bigger tools to excel on this court and these conditions, with the players acknowledging that the court is playing pretty fast. But she struggled with her serve in her opening match and should Sakkari negate that shot here, she’s got a great chance. We can’t see the Greek playing worse than her opening match, and we’re backing her to win at least a set at -135.