Maria Sharapova vs. Timea Babos Preview
Where: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York, NY
When: Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Line: Maria Sharapova (-700) vs. Timea Babos (+450) – view all 2017 US Open Women’s Singles lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
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Betting on Maria Sharapova (-700)
Making an emphatic return to the circuit is Maria Sharapova, who stunned the Flushing Meadows crowd by pulling off a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 upset over second-seeded Simona Halep in the first round of the US Open.
Sharapova, who’s been held out of WTA Tour action for 15 months due to substance abuse, proved quickly that she’s back with a vengeance. The five-time Grand Slam champion won the battle of the aces against Halep (7-1) and punched in 60 winners to just 15 from her Romanian opponent. However, she also committed 64 errors in the match to show that there’s still some rust to her game.
Despite Sharapova’s rather wild play, however, it’s safe to assume that her second-round match versus World No. 59 Timea Babos up ahead will not be as challenging as the one she went through against Halep. The Russian sensation has the big-game pedigree that Babos lacks, as she’s now won 23 consecutive first-round matches in Grand Slam tournaments, including 11 in the US Open alone.
What’s more is that Sharapova has made the third round of the US Open in nine of her 10 career appearances, with her tourney debut back in 2003 being the only exception.
Betting on Timea Babos (+450)
Like Sharapova, 24-year-old Timea Babos needed a three-set thriller to advance in the US Open, emerging victorious from a hard-fought 7-5, 5-7, 7-5 match against World No. 54 Viktorija Golubic.
The Hungarian hopeful has yet to face Sharapova in her career, giving her somewhat of an edge in unpredictability. Babos’ last trip to the US Open also speaks highly of her improvements, having made the third round of the tournament last year – her career-best finish at a Grand Slam event. On the other hand, she’s also suffered first-round exits in each of her four prior trips to the US Open.
Speaking of first-round exits, Babos has nine of those over her last 11 tournaments played to date. Her 6-10 record on hard courts this season doesn’t inspire much confidence either, so the scales remain tipped in favor of Sharapova entering Wednesday’s clash.
Writer’s Prediction
Sharapova (-700) with a much better performance this time around, eliminating Babos from contention in straight sets.
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