Betting Central

Line Calls, presented by FanDuel: Bianca Andreescu vs. Maria Sakkari, Miami

Andreescu looks like she's beginning to round into shape, so this meeting with Sakkari should turn into a nice, lengthy battle.

ByZachary Cohen

Published Mar 23, 2023

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WATCH: Zach's picks to win the women's Miami Open

Sakkari and Andreescu have met twice, both times in 2021 and both at massive tournaments.

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Maria Sakkari is coming off a great run to the Indian Wells semifinals. The Greek star was ultimately eliminated by Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets, but it was still a great week for the now-world No. 10. But one thing that stood out, despite the result, is that Sakkari needed three sets to win each of her four matches in the desert. And it’s hard not to envision her second-round meeting with Bianca Andreescu at the Miami Open going to a third set as well.

Sakkari and Andreescu have met twice, both times in 2021 and both at massive tournaments: in Miami, when Andreescu earned a 7-6 (7), 3-6, 7-6 (4) win; and at the US Open, when Sakkari prevailed 6-7 (2), 7-6 (6), 6-3. With this history in mind, the Over on the game total looks like the right play here.

Their history, and the Canadian's current form, suggests that the third installment of Andreescu vs. Sakkari could be a lengthy showdown.

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We would have been concerned about a possible Andreescu blowout a few months ago, but the Canadian looks like she’s starting to find her form. She earned a nice win over Peyton Stearns at Indian Wells, and she also played well in a loss to world No. 1 Iga Swiatek. Andreescu then came to Miami and earned a solid win over Emma Raducanu, who had been playing well entering that match.

With Andreescu playing at a high level now, it just seems unfair to expect Sakkari to beat her in straights. On the flip side, a straight-set win for Andreescu would be equally surprising. This one just has all the makings of a long match, and one that should be filled with exciting shot-making displays. Both players have a lot of game from the baseline, and they both pack so much punch that we feel bad for the balls they’ll be hitting.

If two players are so evenly matched that you have a difficult time deciding who will come out on top, taking the Over is the right idea. It’s also great that FanDuel lets you get this total at 21.5 by going to the “Total Game Props” tab. That means that we can also hit if we get a tiebreaker and a 6-3 set, for example. So, let’s kick back and hope these two put on a show. If they do, we’ll end up with a little more money in our pockets.

Line Call: Over 21.5 Games (-132)

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