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A history-making season for Greece’s Maria Sakkari

It was only a matter of time earlier than Maria Sakkari broke by. The 26-year-old spent her 2021 marketing campaign rewriting the historical past books of Greek tennis after turning into the primary girl from her nation to succeed in a serious semifinal, make a Prime 10 debut and qualify for the Akron WTA Finals Guadalajara. 

This is how the most effective season of Sakkari’s profession unfolded: 

Melbourne arduous quarantine derails season begin

After ending her 2020 season with a semifinal run in Ostrava, Sakkari picked up proper the place she left off. Tallying a trio of wins over Coco Gauff, Sofia Kenin and Garbiñe Muguruza, Sakkari opened her season by making the Abu Dhabi semifinal, the place she misplaced to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka. All indicators had been pointing to a constructive begin and hopeful probabilities as Staff Sakkari headed to Australia. 

Teaching File: Get to know Prime Hill

However Sakkari and coach Tom Hill landed in Melbourne solely to be taught that they must spend 14 days in arduous quarantine after a passenger on their flight examined constructive for COVID-19. Sakkari did properly to come back out of it to make the semifinals of the Grampians Trophy, however there was no denying the impact of her two weeks away from the courts. She bowed out within the first spherical of the Australian Open to Kristina Mladenovic, 6-2, 0-6, 6-3.

Street to WTA Finals, singles

Street to WTA Finals, doubles

“I believe after the 2 weeks in Australia, caught within the room, I misplaced somewhat little bit of my id, which is being aggressive but in addition making quite a lot of balls and taking part in bodily matches,” Sakkari advised WTA Insider in March. “Although I had a few good wins after that, I wasn’t feeling it.”

By means of the Center East swing, Sakkari nonetheless discovered herself trying to find her sport. run to the Doha quarterfinals appeared to point issues had been stepping into the precise path, however it was adopted up with a first-round loss in Dubai. Looking back, the 2 losses – to Muguruza in Doha and Barbora Krejcikova in Dubai – had been nothing to fret about given the standard of opponents. However Sakkari was left reeling.

Dubai reset ends in Miami success

After her 8-5 begin to the season, Sakkari stayed in Dubai to work and diagnose the problems in her sport.

“Tom was like, ‘Look, I do know you hate watching your self taking part in, however we now have to do it,'” Sakkari mentioned. “So we sat down and we watched a number of matches from Ostrava, as a result of I believe I used to be taking part in good tennis again then, as properly. A number of matches from Abu Dhabi. Simply checked out what I used to be doing otherwise than the matches that I misplaced after the Australian quarantine.”

Learn: How Sakkari rediscovered her id forward of Miami

The reset labored. In her subsequent event, on the Miami Open, Sakkari cast a path to her first WTA 1000 semifinal since 2019 and third general. Her run was highlighted by a memorable comeback in opposition to Jessica Pegula within the Spherical of 16, whereby she saved six match factors to win 6-4, 2-6. 7-6(6).

She adopted that up with a dominant win over Naomi Osaka within the quarterfinals, 6-0, 6-4, earlier than developing brief in one of the crucial compelling matches of the season, the place in opposition to Bianca Andreescu she misplaced 7-6(7), 3-6, 7-6(4).

Breakthrough: First Slam semifinal at Roland Garros ends in heartbreak

Sakkari posted back-to-back Spherical of 16 appearances to start out her clay season in Stuttgart (l. Kvitova) and Madrid (l. Muchova) and a second-round exhibiting in Rome (l. Gauff). All three losses got here in three units.

Sakkari’s Slam breakthrough lastly got here at Roland Garros. Earlier than Paris, Sakkari’s finest outcome on the majors got here with two Spherical of 16 appearances in 2020 on the Australian Open and US Open. However outcomes apart, clay stays Sakkari’s favourite floor, and he or she proved her prowess by defeating Elise Mertens earlier than knocking off final yr’s finalist and champion, Sofia Kenin and Iga Swiatek, with out shedding a set to advance to her first main semifinal.

Learn: Sakkari stuns defending champion Swiatek to seal semifinal spot

“I thought of it quite a lot of occasions that possibly that [Top 20] was my ceiling and I couldn’t get any larger within the rankings, taking part in higher in tournaments,” Sakkari mentioned in Paris. “However this yr I proved myself that I am truly taking part in actually good. I beat quite a lot of excellent gamers.”

Going through eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova for a spot in her first main closing, Sakkari held a match level at 5-3 within the third set earlier than the Czech mounted a comeback to win, 7-5, 4-6, 9-7. It was a crushing loss for the 26-year-old. 

“I’ve to be lethal trustworthy: I bought harassed, beginning pondering that I am a degree away from being within the closing,” Sakkari mentioned after the match. “I suppose it is a rookie mistake. 

“Good factor is that if I give myself an opportunity once more to be in that place, then I do know that I haven’t got to do it once more.” 


Photograph by Darren Carroll/USTA

Securing second Slam semifinal in New York 

Sakkari would go 3-3 at WTA tournaments after Roland Garros. However as she proved in Paris, she had come to learn to summon her finest tennis on the greatest tournaments, and he or she channeled all her learnings into the US Open to make a second consecutive Slam semifinal. In New York, Sakkari scored wins over Petra Kvitova, avenged her Miami loss with a three-set victory over Andreescu, and put collectively a dominating win over Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova within the quarterfinals.

“I believe I had one of many hardest attracts,” Sakkari mentioned. “Kostyuk, Siniakova, Kvitova, Andreescu, Pliskova, all these gamers are gamers I do not need to play within the first rounds. Going deep, you will not have it straightforward. I needed to play rather well to be right here. That offers me quite a lot of confidence as a result of I beat some very, excellent gamers to succeed in the semifinals this time.”

Sakkari fell brief in opposition to shock champion Emma Raducanu, however her profitable fortnight boosted her to No.12 within the rankings and on the verge of a Prime 10 debut. 

Making Greek Historical past: Ostrava Last triggers Prime 10 debut and WTA Finals qualification

Motivation was not an element for Sakkari after the US Open. With a watch towards making historical past as the primary Greek girl to crack the WTA Prime 10 and qualify for the WTA Finals, Sakkari adopted up her US Open semifinal with a run to the Ostrava closing. En route, Sakkari defeated Jelena Ostapenko and upended Swiatek for a second time this season, earlier than shedding to a red-hot Anett Kontaveit within the closing. 

“It could sound loopy and silly if I mentioned that I am not motivated as a result of I am attempting to realize one of many greatest objectives of my profession for the primary time, which is the Finals,” Sakkari mentioned. “I am extra motivated than I used to be the primary week of the yr.” 

Sakkari’s Ostrava run was sufficient to rewrite the historical past books the next Monday and ebook her spot in Guadalajara, the place she’s going to compete on the WTA Finals for the primary time in her profession. En path to her WTA Finals debut, Sakkari posted a 36-18 report throughout the common season and posted a 7-3 report vs. Prime 10 opponents on the WTA Tour. Earlier than 2021, Sakkari was 10-13 in opposition to Prime 10 opposition.

 

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