Roland Garros: Maria Sakkari vs Kamilla Rakhimova preview, head-to-head & prediction | French Open 2020

Match details

Fixture: Maria Sakkari vs Kamilla Rakhimova

Date: 30 September 2020

Tournament: Roland Garros 2020

Round: Second round (Round of 64)

Venue: Paris, France

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Red clay

Prize money: Approx. €38,000,000

Match timing: Approx. 4 pm CEST, 7.30 pm IST

Live telecast: - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP

Maria Sakkari vs Kamilla Rakhimova preview

Maria Sakkari hits a backhand

20th seed Maria Sakkari will be looking to continue her good 2020 run when she takes on rising teen Kamilla Rakhimova in her second-round match at Roland Garros on Wednesday.

Sakkari has enjoyed a rich vein of form since the tour resumption, with some good showings at the big tournaments. At the 2020 Western & Southern Open, the Greek showed plenty of muscle in wins over 23-time Major winner Serena Williams and young phenom Coco Gauff. The Greek then followed up with a good campaign at 2020 US Open, where she lost to Serena Williams in the fourth round.

The World No. 25 didn't play at Rome or Strasbourg in the lead-up to Paris, deciding instead to give herself some rest before kicking off her French Open campaign. Sakkari showed some scintillating form in her opening match against Ajla Tomljanovic on Sunday, bagelling the Aussie in the first set en route to a commanding straight-sets win.

19-year-old Kamilla Rakhimova, meanwhile, is one of the top teenagers on the WTA Tour, and is making her Grand Slam debut in Paris this year. The Russian has mostly competed on the ITF circuit, and qualified into the main draw on the back of some impressive wins over more experienced opponents.

In her first-round match, Rakhimova upset World No. 55 Shelby Rogers in straight sets.

Maria Sakkari vs Kamilla Rakhimova head-to-head

The first-round match at the French Open will be the first-ever career meeting between Maria Sakkari and Kamilla Rakhimova, so the head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

Maria Sakkari vs Kamilla Rakhimova prediction

Kamilla Rakhimova

One of the main factors that has helped Maria Sakkari perform well at the big tournaments lately is her physical conditioning. Anyone who has followed the Greek would know that she is built like a tank. She also possesses a strong backhand and a good first serve.

While Sakkari plays solid groundstrokes from the baseline and likes long rallies, her younger opponent Kamilla Rakhimova depends more on her footwork and precision. The Russian has a good backhand herself for her age, but is a little underpowered on the forehand side.

At the end of the day, Sakkari is much more experienced than the 19-year-old Rakhimova, and that will likely help her advance to the third round of Roland Garros.

Prediction: Maria Sakkari to win in three sets.