Maria
Sakkari won her first WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open title against Caroline Dolehide
with a score of 7-5, 6-3.
Sakkari had
a solid week in Guadalajara, reaching her second final in the tournament,
following her defeat in 2022 against Jessica Pegula. The Greek player has been
flawless and has not dropped a set in her victories over Storm Hunter (6-2,
6-4), Camila Giorgi (6-2, 6-2), Emiliana Arango (6-3, 6-4), and Caroline Garcia
(6-3, 6-0).
The second
seed entered the final as the clear favorite due to her extensive experience in
important tournaments, with over 60 wins in WTA 1000 events, including seven
semifinals and two finals in the category, although she had never won a title
before.
Her
opponent, Caroline Dolehide, arrived at the tournament as a relatively unknown
player and had the best week of her career, reaching her first professional
final. She began the tournament as the world No. 111 and surprised
higher-ranked players such as Ekaterina Aleksandrova (20th), Martina Trevisan
(54th), and former Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin (53rd).
World No. 9
had no trouble dealing with the nerves of six consecutive lost finals and
showcased a high level throughout the week. Sakkari secured the first break in
the third game, taking a 3-1 lead. The American player broke back and leveled
the score 4-4 on her first opportunity.
With
Sakkari leading 6-5 and the tie-break looming, the former world No. 3 earned
another break to take the set 7-5.
In the
second set, the American player remained resilient, but Sakkari's decisiveness
earned her a break in the fifth game, followed by taking a 4-2 lead with her
serve. Although Dolehide fought until the end of the match, Sakkari prevailed
and ultimately secured the victory with a final break, winning 7-5, 6-3.
This is
Maria Sakkari's first WTA 1000 title, breaking her streak of losses in finals,
and it marks her second career trophy (her first was at the 2019 Morocco Open).
The Greek player solidifies her position as the world No. 6 and enters the race
to qualify among the top 8 for the WTA Finals.
Sakkari has
made progress in the Race rankings, currently holding the ninth position with
3010 points. In the coming weeks, she will aim to catch up to Ons Jabeur, who
currently holds the eighth position with 3318 points.
Both
players will be competing in the WTA 1000 event in Beijing starting on October
2nd. However, Sakkari will make a stop in Tokyo before that, as she is
registered to play in the WTA 500 tournament that begins this week.
