Anna Blinkova vs Astra Sharma Prediction, Picks, Odds, H2H, Stats - 7/15/24

Anna Blinkova will be the favorite as she takes on Astra Sharma in the first round of the Palermo Ladies Open on Monday in Sicily, Italy.

At -160, Blinkova is the 6-seed in this WTA125 event with expectations to get past Australian native Astra Sharma but it might not be that easy.

Astra Sharma has defeated Blinkova on a big stage once before (French Open 2020), although the stakes aren’t quite as high as the Major event in Paris.

EJ Garr’s Anna Blinkova vs Astra Sharma prediction features odds at +140, and you can find that bet with his preview below.

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Anna Blinkova vs Astra Sharma Prediction: Some Ugly Tennis in Italia

• Prediction: Match Total Over 2.5 Sets
• Best Odds: +140
• Bookmaker: Pinnacle
• Stakes: 3/10

Odds as of 7:00 am UK Time July 15, 2024. Odds may now differ.

Anna Blinkova hasn’t looked comfortable on clay this season after some relative success in 2023 on the dirt. With only two wins from 8 outings on clay in 2024, Blinkova hasn’t won three matches in any event on tour this year, and the odds of her getting deep in this event are against her.

At +4000, you can take a flyer on Blinkova to win the Palermo Ladies Open but you will be tearing up that losing ticket. Consistency and confidence are two things that Blinkova knows nothing about, and that is also a claim that Sharma cannot make approaching this tournament.

I suggest you bet on the Over 2.5 Sets prop because neither player has proven they can win lately, and we will see tons of breaks and unforced errors in this match. If I could find a site that offers a break of service prop, that would be the bet of the day when these two hit the court for this first-round clash in Italia.

It may seem like a strange call to expect 3 sets here, but I have no faith in either of these two ladies to win this affair. Again, the mistakes will add up and the main total is 21 and that line is juiced at -130 so that rules that out.

Who wins this match is none of our concern, and I wouldn’t even suggest the +3 handicap on Sharma because that is not worth the stress either. 

At +140, the only value I see here is on the expectation of three sets, and Mayar Sherif will most likely be waiting for the winner of this match in the second round. 

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ANNA BLINKOVA RECENT FORM

Anna Blinkova is 11 – 18 this year, and how she gets a top-60 ranking is beyond me. Blinkova isn’t even a top-100 player on tour, so expect that number to drop as the season unwinds. 

Blinkova is 2 – 6 on clay in 2024, and the decline was sudden after a 26 – 17 record on the dirt over the last two campaigns.

She hasn’t won more than 2 matches in any tournament appearance this year, and she’ll be doing double duty playing doubles in this event with her partner Elixane Lechemia.

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ASTRA SHARMA RECENT FORM

Sharma has an ugly record of 7 – 14 in 2024, and she is 6 – 11 on clay this season. 

The Aussie native has seen her ranking fall to 140th in the world, and she also took a turn that wasn’t expected. Sharma was 23 – 11 on clay in 2023 in a year she won 40 matches, and this year has simply been a season full of disappointment.

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BLINKOVA VS SHARMA HTH –  STAT OF THE MATCH

In 2020, Sharma defeated Blinkova in their only meeting that came at the French Open in Paris. 

She won the match in three sets and you’ll never giuess how many breaks of serve occurred in that outing? 

Oh, just 13! Expect more of the same today!

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