Sakkari edged previous Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya within the second spherical on Thursday, taking the primary set 6-2 earlier than Kalinskaya retired within the second set which Sakkari was main 1-0.
Sakkari, who will face Simona Halep within the final eight, continues a breakthrough season the place she completed runner-up on the WTA 500 occasion in Ostrava, Czech Republic and reached the semifinals on the French and the US Open majors.
“I am very happy with myself and my workforce that we really made it to the Finals for the primary time, and for the primary time within the historical past of Greece for a feminine tennis participant,” Sakkari stated.
“I used to be very onerous on myself up till this yr … Rising, and in addition getting older and extra mature, you see sure issues completely different.
“Being good to myself was one of the crucial essential issues I’ve modified this yr, being good throughout the video games and the matches.”
The world quantity seven is the fifth participant after Ash Barty, Aryna Sabalenka, Barbora Krejcikova and Karolina Pliskova to qualify for the Finals, which will probably be held in November in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The Finals, contested by the world’s prime eight singles gamers and eight doubles groups, was moved out of China’s Shenzhen after final yr’s occasion was canceled as a result of Covid-19 pandemic.
