WTA Miami: series ended - Maria Sakkari beats Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the WTA Tour 1000 tournament in Miami. The Japanese lost after 23 wins in a row to the Greek Maria Sakkari with 0: 6 and 4: 6. Ashleigh Barty remains at the top of the WTA world rankings.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Mar 31, 2021, 08:28 pm
Sakkari started as if from another planet and won the first set in a hurry. At the beginning of the second half Osaka seemed to have recovered and took a 3-0 lead. But Sakkari came up again, managed to equalize to 4: 4. This was followed by a game that Osaka has probably not seen in this form for a long time: The Japanese gave away a 40-0 with three slight mistakes on her own serve, then treated herself to a double fault and a backhand into the net. Sakkari gladly accepted these gifts and after 69 minutes was allowed to celebrate for the 6: 0 and 6: 4 and the entry into the semi-finals in Miami.
With the defeat of Osaka, the first after a winning streak of 23 matches, it is now clear that Ashleigh Barty will remain at the top of the WTA charts. The Australian had already reached the semifinals yesterday and will meet Elina Svitolina there on Thursday. Osaka should have won the tournament to have a chance to overtake Barty.