Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Madrid match.
Both players arrive at this semi-final with losing records for the season, which helps explain why neither is currently ranked inside the top 40 in the world.
Wang holds a slightly better win-loss ratio — seven wins to eight defeats — compared to Maria Sakkari, who has posted seven victories and twelve losses. During the spring hard-court events, she featured at both Indian Wells and Miami. In California, Wang advanced through two rounds before losing to third seed Jessica Pegula in the Round of 32 (2:6, 1:6). In Miami, she was eliminated in the first round after losing to world No. 51 Veronika Kudermetova (2:6, 6:7).
Although her form is marginally stronger, Xinyu Wang, currently ranked 41st, has not yet played a clay-court match this season. By contrast, Maria Sakkari began her transition to the surface in early April. She reached the second round in Charleston before losing to world No. 8 Zheng Qinwen (4:6, 1:6). She then competed in Rouen, France, but was eliminated in her opening match by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (0:6, 6:3, 3:6).
Maria Sakkari’s recent clay-court performances may not instil much confidence, but at least she has had some match rhythm on the surface. Wang, on the other hand, is entering this contest without any such preparation. While Xinyu Wang perhaps has the more complete game at present, it’s worth noting that even in their only previous encounter — a three-set contest on hard courts in Beijing in 2023 — she had to work hard to get past Maria Sakkari (6:4, 2:6, 6:3).
Xinyu Wang vs Maria Sakkari Prediction
We’re not convinced that either player holds a decisive edge, but this looks set to be a closely contested and extended match.
