Maria Sakkari and Ons Jabeur practised together in Rome but before they started the practice there was some debating going on and the topic was olive oil.
Both Jabeur and Sakkari come from warm-weather countries and the climate there favours the growing of olive trees. Both Greece and Tunisia are proud of the olive oil they produce and the players engaged in a debate about which country makes the best olive oil before their practice.
Besides some good old-fashioned competitive debating, we also saw both players use a special weapon patented by Italians to further emphasise a point during an argument /debate.
Check the video below:
Who makes the best olive oil? Practice can wait.
— Internazionali BNL d'Italia (@InteBNLdItalia) May 9, 2023
In the Internazionali BNL d’Italia Round of 64 on Thursday, we have a matchup featuring Barbora Strycova versus No. 8 Maria Sakkari.
Sakkari is favoured (-1400) to get to the round of 32 compared to the underdog Strycova (+750).
Sakkari vs. Strycova Matchup Performance & Stats
- Sakkari is 7-4 on clay over the past year, with zero tournament titles.
- On clay, Sakkari has won 72.1% of her service games and 33.9% of her return games over the past 12 months.
- Sakkari has converted 40.0% of her break-point opportunities on clay (40 of 100) over the past 12 months.
- In her most recent tournament (the Mutua Madrid Open), Sakkari made a run before losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals 4-6, 1-6 on May 4.
- The 37-year-old Strycova, who is seeking her first tournament victory on clay in 2023, is 0-1 over the past year on that surface.
- Strycova is 7-for-12 in service games on clay (winning 58.3%) and 2-for-10 in return games (20.0%).
- On clay courts Strycova has won 50.0% of break points, two out of four, which ranks 327th.
In her last tournament (the Mutua Madrid Open) on April 25, Strycova went up against Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the round of 128 and was eliminated 3-6, 6-7.
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