Betdistrict.com
Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep will square off in the most anticipated matchup on the women’s draw in the first round at the US Open.
Life on tour has been difficult for Maria Sharapova since she came back after her 15 month suspension. The Russian has played just 9 matches this season and she did win 6 of them, but her best win was against Lucic-Baroni, so she obviously lacks match practice against the top players. Sharapova last played almost 1 month ago at Stanford, where she defeated Brady (2-1) and retired before her 2nd round match due to arm problems. The win against Brady remains Sharapova’s only hard court match of the season.
Simona Halep has been one of the best players in the WTA this season and she has been very solid on the American hard courts as well in the last couple of months. The Romanian reached the semifinals at Toronto (lost to Svitolina) and the final at Cincinnati (lost to Muguruza). On the other hand, her last match, the Cincinnati final, was an utter obliteration – as Halep won just 1 game against Garbine Muguruza and was a shadow of herself. Fatigue might have been a factor.
Bet on Sharapova vs Halep and claim your 100% (100 Eur) freebet at Ohmbet now!Maria Sharapova leads the H2H 6-0 (4-0 on hard) and holds a clear matchup advantage over Halep – at least mentally if not in terms of styles of play. The Head 2 Head seems to be the biggest threat coming from Sharapova in this match, and the reason why Halep has pretty high odds considering the circumstances, with the price hovering around 1.45 – 1.50.
However, it has to be said that all matches between the two have been close, Sharapova’s biggest win being a 6-4 6-3 in their first meeting, back when Halep wasn`t yet emerged as a top player. Halep was rarely dominated by the Russian, so it really seems more of a mental problem for her against Sharapova, with Maria usually winning the important points. The 6-0 H2H might not be as bad as it seems for Halep.
This being said, you would expect Halep to turn the tides and finally get one over her nemesis. The Romanian has been consistent all season and she is meeting a below par version of Sharapova.
The Russian has been shaky all season, struggling with consistency, serving poorly and being nagged by fitness problems as well. She hasn`t played in almost a month, while Halep gain form and rhythm in the Masters events at Toronto and Cincinnati, racking up wins and confidence – even though last time out she lost horribly to Muguruza.
I expect Halep to be the more consistent player here, playing her low risk baseline game without too many errors and forcing Sharapova to hit extra shots – which she has usually missed this season. Sharapova’s shaky serve should also be put under big pressure by a very good returner like Halep. It`s hard to see this version of Sharapova being precise enough to consistently land her high risk aggressive shots against a fast defender.
The H2H must still be respected and taken into account when betting on this, and so does the fact that WTA is always a bit riskier, even a steady player like Halep being prone to bad days. But all these are included in the odds, which should probably be around 1.30 for Halep if not for these factors. And when it`s all said and done, 1.50 still seems too high for the Romanian here.
My tip is Halep to win. Odds are good enough for me to avoid bets on handicaps or sets, and go with the safer straight victory. Prediction: Maria Sharapova – Simona Halep 5-7 3-6.
Pick: Halep
Odds: 1.54 @ 1xBet
Stake: 9
Possible profit: 4.86
Event date: 28 August
Good luck!