Tennis Betting Tips: Sakkari to start Athens Open in style

With Wimbledon now over, it's time to shift focus away from the grass and head back to the hard courts. It was announced earlier this year that the Greek capital of Athens would be returning to the WTA Tour for the first time in over 35 years, and it's the 250 event which takes my focus for Monday's Tennis Betting Tips.

Check them out below, with a home favourite backed to begin in style...

Set Betting - Maria Sakkari 2-0 vs Polina Kudermetova @ 4/5

Greek No. 1 Maria Sakkari, currently ranked 37th in the world, enters her home tournament as the fourth seed, so she'll be looking to make a strong start on Monday.

The 30-year-old didn't enjoy the best clay or grass swing, losing five of her eight matches on the former surface and three of her five on the latter, exiting both the French Open and Wimbledon at the third round, but now she returns to the hard courts, where she plays her best tennis.

Sakkari made the semi-finals of the Qatar Open in Doha in February and one of her two singles titles on the WTA Tour was a 1000 event on the hard courts of Guadalajara in 2023.

Tennis Odds

On Monday, the 2020 and 2021 Greek Female Athlete of the Year takes on Russian-born Polina Kudermetova, who started representing Kazakhstan at the beginning of 2026, in the first round of the Athens Open.

Kudermetova is currently ranked 109th in the world and her highest-ever ranking was achieved in April last year when she made it to 54th, a far cry from Sakkari's highest of third (March 2022), although the Greek is seven years her senior.

The 23-year-old's lowly ranking has meant she has been forced to navigate the qualifiers of tournaments, including at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon, losing in the final round of qualifiers in the former and suffering a first-round main-draw exit at the latter.

Like Sakkari, Kudermetova may be relieved to be back on the hard courts this week, where she has a 6-3 record in 2026, although just none of her victories have come against anyone in the top 100, so it's difficult to make much of a case for her against Sakkari, especially given Monday's match takes place on her opponent's home soil.

Sakkari has won eight of her 14 hard-court contests this calendar year, with six of her successes coming in straight sets, and she's 2-0 on the surface against players ranked outside of the top 100, not dropping a set against either.

I see Sakkari racing out of the traps here, taking the first set and holding on firmly from there.

Set Handicap - Mina Hodzic (+1.5) vs Harriet Dart @ 6/5

British No. 5 Harriet Dart is the big favourite in her first-round match with Mina Hodzic, but she hasn't played competitively on hard courts since losing to Taylah Preston in Japan on April 30.

Hodzic, on the other hand, came through two rounds of qualifying in Athens last week, beating Chan Hao-ching (6-3, 6-4) and Ekaterina Yashina (6-1, 6-2), although both players were ranked outside the world's top 500.

The 24-year-old, only ranked 334th herself, has at least generated some momentum heading into Monday's match with Dart, as well as some crucial surface practice, which could help to bridge the talent gap between the two.

Dart, ranked 152nd, can be a volatile player whose emotions sometimes get the better of her, and a few wayward shots early here could knock her confidence and offer some encouragement to her German counterpart, who is backed to take at least one set.