Guadalajara Open 2023: Maria Sakkari vs Camila Giorgi preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Fixture: (2) Maria Sakkari vs Camila Giorgi

Date: September 20, 2023

Tournament:Guadalajara Open 2023

Round: Third round (Round of 16)

Venue: Panamerican Tennis Center, Guadalajara, Mexico

Surface: Hardcourt

Prize money: $2,788,468

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video

Maria Sakkari vs Camila Giorgi preview

World No. 9 Maria Sakkari will face the mercurial Camila Giorgi on Wednesday for a place in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Guadalajara Open Akron.

The former World No. 3 has struggled for form in 2023, only managing to win 30 of her 49 matches on the WTA tour. She has also lost four of her last six completed matches, with her last defeat coming at the hands of local qualifier Emma Navarro at the WTA 500 tournament in San Diego.

Having said that, the Greek has been in fine form at this week's 1000-level event in Guadalajara. After receiving a bye in the first round, the second seed beat Australia's Storm Hunter 6-2, 6-4 to book her place in the Round of 16.

Camila Giorgi, meanwhile, has been suffering from a string of bad luck lately. The Italian's 2023 season has been marred by a variety of injuries ever since she reigned supreme at the 250-level event in Merida in February. She has been forced to retire midway through four of her matches on the WTA tour this year.

The World No. 56 had also lost 12 of her 25 matches coming into this week's 1000-level event Guadalajara. However, she has seemingly put her fitness issues on the back burner, as evidenced by her straight-sets routs of Mayar Sherif and Cristina Bucsa to reach the third round.

Maria Sakkari vs Camila Giorgi head-to-head

Sakkari leads Giorgi by a margin of 2-0 in their head-to-head meetings on the WTA tour. In fact, she has only dropped four games across two straight-sets wins over the Italian.

The Greek also beat the Italian in the qualifying event of the Connecticut Open in 2016, which doesn't count in pro-tour records.

Maria Sakkari vs Camila Giorgi odds

(Odds will be posted once they are available).

Maria Sakkari vs Camila Giorgi prediction

Sakkari is a very good all-round player; she has solid groundstrokes on both wings, while also possessing a reliable serve and return game. She can also be the aggressor in rallies at will, while also being good at defending from the back of the court.

Having said that, her mental strength has been really suspect of late. The 28-year-old has failed to close out matches this season. She even expressed a desire to take a break from tennis after suffering an uncharacteristic defeat in the first round of the 2023 US Open.

While a short time-out would've helped her recharge her batteries, Sakkari has made the decision to carry on with her season. Giorgi, for her part, has been even more inconsistent than her upcoming opponent in 2023, which means she is not in a good position to take advantage of Sakkari's slump in form.

Although she has an incredible forehand, the 31-year-old struggles for consistency as a result of her low-margin game. She also has a relatively weak serve, which is likely to be picked off by Sakkari when the two meet in Guadalajara.

Pick: Maria Sakkari to win in two tight sets.