“A Little Bit Tricky”: Maria Sakkari Reflects on Victory Against Simona Halep at WTA Kremlin Cup 2021

Having played against each other for the first time on WTA tour, both Maria Sakkari and former world no.1 Simona Halep put up a stellar display of tennis at the on-going Kremlin Cup in Moscow, Russia.

Maria Sakkari registers a dominating victory over Simona Halep at WTA Kremlin Cup

At one point, the rising Greek star looked dominant enough to seal the match as she rose to a quick-fire lead of 5-1 in the second set after winning the first, 6-4.

It was at this moment where Halep showed her determination that kept on top for so many years on the WTA tour. The Romanian bounced back after saving a couple of match points against Sakkari to bring the second set back on serve.

Just when the momentum was clearly with Halep, Sakkari managed to catch hold of the slightest opportunity to win the match on her opponent’s serve at 5-4.

Sep 8, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Maria Sakkari of Greece hits a forehand against Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic (not pictured) on day ten of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

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The Greek star, who is known to display aggressive brand of tennis, managed to bring that back once again in the tenth game as she broke Halep one last time to register one of the best victories of her career so far.

“Last few games were a little bit tricky” – Sakkari on match against Halep

Sakkari, who faces Ekaterian Alexandrova in the semi-finals at Moscow, reflected on her stupendous victory over Simona Halep and the challenges posed by the Russian.

” “, Sakkari commented on her matchup against Halep.

Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – June 10, 2021 Greece’s Maria Sakkari in action during her semi final match against Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejcikova REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

On facing Alexandrova, Sakkari said, “She’s a very dangerous player, she likes to hit the ball very hard, and she just goes for it. Of course she’s feeling good playing at home, and today she had one of her biggest wins. So I’m expecting a very tough match from her side”. 

Both Alexadrova and Sakkari played three times against each other on the WTA tour so far and the Greek won all the encounters. It has been an exceptional year for Maria Sakkari as she reached a career high ranking of no.7 and became the first Greek women’s singles tennis player to achieve this feat.

Also read: “2–3 Years for Sure”: Simona Halep Quashes Retirement Rumours

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