🎾 WTA Madrid R1: Wang Xinyu vs Maria Sakkari

🎾 WTA Madrid R1: Wang Xinyu vs Maria Sakkari – Match Preview

🧠 Form & Context

🇬🇷 Maria Sakkari

• Spiraling downward: The former top-10 mainstay has tumbled out of the top 80, with her form crumbling since late 2023.
• Bleak 2025: Just seven wins from 20 matches this season, and no back-to-back victories since the 2024 Paris Olympics.
• Rock bottom: Suffered a devastating loss to Bouzas Maneiro in Rouen last week—another early exit in a string of setbacks.
• Madrid history: Despite current struggles, she reached the semifinals in 2023 and has made at least the second round in each of her last four appearances here.

🇨🇳 Wang Xinyu

• 2025 woes: Has suffered eight first-round losses in 10 tournaments this year, with only a brief glimmer in Singapore (SF) and Indian Wells (R3).
• Unsettled on clay: Just 8–13 in career matches on the surface, with no significant results outside Roland Garros.
• Madrid mismatch: Enters this match without notable success on altitude clay, and her aggressive game struggles to adapt to longer rallies.

🔍 Match Breakdown

Both players are out of rhythm, making this a mental battle as much as a tactical one. Sakkari may be in a deep slump, but her physical edge and comfort at Madrid’s elevation give her a marginal advantage. Her past semifinal run here shows she knows how to use the conditions to her benefit.

Wang’s lack of clay-court nuance and tendency to flatten out shots doesn’t translate well on Madrid’s red dirt. While Sakkari’s nerves could open a window, Wang hasn’t proven consistent enough to capitalize.

🔮 Prediction

Pick: Maria Sakkari in 3 sets

Expect an emotional rollercoaster and several momentum swings, but Sakkari’s experience in Madrid may help her avoid another morale-crushing loss.