WTA Finals: Maria Sakkari completes the semifinals
Maria Sakkari was the last player to make it into the semi-finals at the WTA Finals in Guadalajara. The Greek defeated Aryna Sabalenka 7: 6, 6: 7 and 6: 3.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Nov 16, 2021, 06:23 am
You should have guessed that before the start of the 2021 season - on a semifinals at the WTA Finals, in which the two Spaniards Garbine Muguruza and Paula Badosa or the Estonian Anett Kontaveit and Maria Sakkari from Greece will meet. In addition, there would certainly have been excellent odds that the year-end tournament would take place in Guadalajara, Mexico. But there has been a party atmosphere there for a few days. Especially in the night session.
And the very last match of the group stage between Sakkari and tournament favorite Aryna Sabalenka did not disappoint. Sakkari got off to a better start, after equalizing the set, Sabalenka seemed to be on the way to the final, leading 3: 1 in the decisive round. But Sakkari turned the game around again, won the last five games and secured her place in the semifinals.
There she meets Kontaveit, who has picked up so much speed with her late tournament victories in Moscow and Cluj-Napoca that she has traveled to Guadalajara as the best in shape player. And go into the second semi-finals as the favorite. The game between Muguruza, the only former Grand Slam winner left in the field, and Badosa is balanced: Badosa is possibly in better shape at the moment, but Muguruza is most enthusiastically supported by the fans in Guadalajara.