Maria Sakkari pulled off one of the biggest wins of her blossoming career on Tuesday night, beating the third-seeded Serena Williams in the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
The Greek champion won with 2-1 sets (5-7, 7-6, 6-1), appearing more prepared than her opponent.
In the first set, Sakkari was nervous and made several mistakes, allowing Williams to head 5-2. However, the Greek tennis player reacted and tied at 5-5. Yet her more experienced American opponent managed to win the first set in the details.
Lovely lob by @mariasakkari 🤩#CInCyTENNIS pic.twitter.com/U7MUrTHRiX
— wta (@WTA) August 26, 2020
In the second set, the Greek athlete started with a break and led 3-1, but Williams, who is at # 9 in the world rankings, tied at 3-3 and then took the lead with 4-3.
Playing well and without losing her concentration, Sakkari made it 5-5, then 6-6 and won the set in the tie-break.
In the third set, Sakkari showed all her power and even led Williams 5-0, reaching a historic winning set conquest set with 6-1, against Williams who has won a total of 39 Grand Slam titles in her brilliant career.
Back to back @CincyTennis quarterfinal appearances! 🤩 @mariasakkari defeats Williams, 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-1.#CInCyTENNIS pic.twitter.com/MS4ckFnACD
— wta (@WTA) August 26, 2020
Sakkari’s next opponent will be British tennis player Joanna Conta – who has three titles on the WTA Tour – on Thursday.
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