- No. 1 Maria Sakkari meets No. 2 Anett Kontaveit in the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy final
- This will be the 13th meeting in their careers, and they’re tied at 6-6
- Kontaveit is the slight favorite in this match. We break it down and make a prediction
With the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds out due to illness and injury before the tournament properly got under way, there were fewer obstacles for Maria Sakkari and Anett Kontaveit to navigate to reach the final of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy Sunday (8:30 a.m. ET)
Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit Odds
| Player | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| [1] Maria Sakkari (GRE) | +2.5 (-105) | +143 | O 21.5 (-115) |
| [2] Anett Kontaveit (EST) | -2.5 (-121) | -180 | U 21.5 (-109) |
Odds as of Feb. 12 at Barstool Sportsbook.
Second seed Kontaveit is the favorite heading into this match, listed at -180.
Kontaveit the Favorite
Before the tournament began, No. 2 seed Kontaveit was the favorite. Her results indoors last fall, which propelled her to a first-ever qualification at the WTA Tour Finals, loom large on her resumé.
And her performance in Saturday’s semifinal against the dangerous (but inconsistent) Jelena Ostapenko only buttressed the argument.
Meanwhile, No. 1 seed Sakkari had a battle against Irina-Camelia Begu.
It was a match she likely should have won in straight sets. In the end, it took her over three hours to get through, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-4.
Kontaveit was through against Ostapenko in an energy-efficient one hour, 11 minutes.
Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit Head-to-Head
| 26 (July 24, 1995) | Age | 26 (Dec. 24, 1995) |
| Athens, Greece | Birthplace | Tallinn, Estonia |
| 5-8 | Height | 5-9 |
| 1 | Career WTA Singles Titles | 5 |
| No. 6 (Oct. 31, 2021) | Career High Ranking | No. 7 (Nov. 15, 2021) |
| No. 7 | Current Ranking | No. 9 |
| $5,827,404 | Career Prize Money | $6,940,343 |
| 8-2 | 2022 Won/Loss record | 8-2 |
| 6 | Career Head to Head | 6 |
Kontaveit’s Impressive Streak Indoors
It has been a long time since the 26-year-old Estonian has even lost on an indoor court.
How long? Some 20 indoor matches ago.
Kontaveit
4 indoor finals in a row
19 wins in a row– notable wins vs
Bencic x2
Badosa
Halep
Kvitova
Muguruza
Ostapenko
Sakkari– streak started in Ostrava where she faced Bencic in QF, Sakkari in the F
– in St Petersburg she had Bencic in the QF, will play vs Sakkari in the F— Diego Barbiani (@Diego_Barbiani) February 12, 2022
Kontaveit and Sakkari met in that Ostrava final, won by Kontaveit.
They met again in the semifinals of the WTA Finals, which took place outdoors in tough altitude in Guadalajara. And Kontaveit won that one as well.
Still, the two have already met 12 times during their relatively short careers – five times in 2021 alone. They’re probably sick of each other. But they also know each others’ games awfully well by now.
Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit Match History
| Year | Tournament | Surface | Score | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | WTA Finals (SF) | Outdoor Hard | 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 | Kontaveit |
| 2021 | Ostrava (F) | Indoor Hard | 6-2, 7-5 | Kontaveit |
| 2021 | Olympics (R64) | Outdoor Hard | 7-5, 6-2 | Sakkari |
| 2021 | Madrid (R32) | Outdoor Clay | 6-3, 6-1 | Sakkari |
| 2021 | Melbourne (SF) | Outdoor Hard | 2-6, 6-3, 11-9 | Kontaveit |
| 2019 | Rome (R32) | Outdoor Clay | 6-3, 6-2 | Sakkari |
| 2018 | Cincinnati (R32) | Outdoor Hard | 6-1, 6-3 | Kontaveit |
| 2017 | Miami (R64) | Outdoor Hard | 6-4, 6-1 | Sakkari |
| 2017 | Australian Open (R128) | Outdoor Hard | 6-0, 6-4 | Sakkari |
| 2016 | Gstaad (R32) | Outdoor Clay | 7-5, 6-1 | Kontaveit |
| 2016 | Miami (QR1) | Outdoor Hard | 6-3, 6-1 | Sakkari |
| 2016 | Indian Wells (QR1) | Outdoor Hard | 6-4, 6-3 | Kontaveit |
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Sakkari With the Bigger Serve
Other than the first round of the Olympics, Sakkari hasn’t beaten Kontaveit on a hard court since they met in the early rounds of the Miami Open in 2017 – nearly four years ago.
It speaks to Kontaveit’s return game that despite Sakkari’s superior first serve and excellent kick delivery, she’s able to stay toe-to-toe with her.
Other than that, there isn’t much to choose between then (which should be obvious, judging by the head-to-head).
Other than the 2021 Melbourne semifinal, which was shortened to a match tiebreak because of some weather issues that week, all the victories by each player were in straight sets – until that most recent one, at the WTA Tour Finals.
It was only 2 1/2 months ago, but it feels a lot longer than that.
Given they are now almost at par in the rankings, that’s probably a better indication of how things might go Sunday in St. Petersburg.
Interesting Props on Offer
At +143, Sakkari is an appetizing pick for an upset in St. Petersburg, because she’s quite capable of winning the match.
A three-set match with those same odds is also a good play.
Given the fact that in 12 meetings, they’ve never played a tiebreak, a match with less than 0.5 tiebreaks (at -315) might be good value.
Over 9.5 games for the first set (+105) is also a good one.
Kontaveit in three sets (+310) makes sense in a scenario where, given Sakkari’s long match on Saturday, the Estonian simply outlasts her in the end.
Best Bet: Over 2.5 sets (+143)
The post Maria Sakkari vs Anett Kontaveit Odds & Prediction – St Petersburg Ladies Trophy Final appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.
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