"I don't want to get too excited" - Sakkari staying focused on Krejcikova semi-final clash despite stunning Swiatek win
WTA
Maria Sakkari made sure of another new Grand Slam champion crowned in the wide open Women's Draw at the French Open after producing a stunning display to down defending champion Iga Swiatek.
Sakkari who has gone under the radar at times has steadily been showing this kind of form on tour over the past 12 months and now has her reward.
A 6-4, 6-4 victory as she took the set streak of 22 away from Swiatek before winning through but despite being pleased, the Greek ace isn't getting too excited with the games now coming thick and fast.
"I don't want to get too excited because I don't have a day off tomorrow," Sakkari said in her post-match press conference on Wednesday. "I still have to play, stay focused. But it's a big achievement, for sure. I'm enjoying, as I said on court, my tennis and myself.
"I have people around me telling it was going to come. You know, they were right. Maybe I was the one who was telling them, I was impatient, telling them, 'When and when and when?' It actually came this week, so I'm happy about it."
Krejcikova clash
Sakkari will now take on Barbora Krejcikova who saw off Coco Gauff in straight sets and the two have history of sorts with the Czech player having the better of the 17th seed in Dubai earlier this year.
"Just to say the truth, I did not play well in Dubai," Sakkari added. "It was one of [Krejcikova's] best weeks. Credit to her. She played very, very good that week. But different conditions, fast court, fast balls. I made a lot of unforced errors.
"I think, of course, it's going to be very tough, but I'm confident that my coaches will give me the right game plan. So far I have been executing whatever they said really well. I trust myself and I trust their game plan. I think it's going to work out well."
Doubts about career ceiling
After a brilliant year, she admitted she has proved her prior doubts wrong that there was a potential ceiling in her career progression.
"I thought about it a lot of times that maybe that was my ceiling and I could not get any higher in the rankings, playing better in tournaments.
"But this year I proved to myself that I'm actually playing really good.
"I beat a lot of good players. Probably also I had the right people around me saying that I can do it, [which] gave me a lot of confidence in achieving that."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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