Line Calls, presented by FanDuel Sportsbook: Maria Sakkari vs. Elise Mertens

World No. 7 Maria Sakkari takes on world No. 26 Elise Mertens in the quarterfinals of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy on Friday. This week, Sakkari has beaten Anastasia Potapova and Ekaterina Alexandrova (both in straight sets), while Mertens earned victories over Alize Cornet and Petra Martic (both in three sets).

In the four times they’ve met on the WTA tour, Sakkari leads 3-1. The most recent encounter came at last year’s French Open, where Sakkari earned a 7-5, 6-7 (2), 6-2 victory. It was Mertens, however, that won the last time these two played on hard courts, a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 win in Zhuhai, back in 2019.

It’s no shocker that these two have produced some good matches in the past. While Sakkari has all sorts of power from the baseline, Mertens is a skillful defender and can deftly redirect some of her opponent’s stronger shots. Also, while Sakkari can occasionally struggle with double faults, Mertens is a bit sturdier on serve. It's one of the many equalizers that make this match a tough call.

Considering that three of their four matches have gone to a deciding set, it’s best not even to attempt to figure out who will ultimately advance to the semifinals. Instead, the best way to bet this match is to simply hope that it is yet another tightly contested battle, with the two once again needing a third set to determine the outcome.

While the first instinct here might to be to bet the Over on the game total of 21.5, those -140 odds aren’t all that great when considering you’ll likely need this to go to a third set to win. Instead, you’re better off backing both of these players to come away with a set, which is paying out at plus money.

Pick: Both Players To Win A Set (+118)