"It was a tricky match" - says Sakkari after victory in return to tennis

Maria Sakkari took a week off after a tough end to her St. Petersburg campaign but returned with a win on Doha.

The Greek player reached the St. Petersburg final and was very close to winning that match but Anett Kontaveit stormed back to secure the win and the trophy. Sakkari missed out on a trophy and it's a common theme for the Greek who last won a title in 2019. In Doha, she is looking to change that and she made a great start with a win over Li.

She said:

"It was a tricky match and especially a tricky second set, but I'm very glad with the way I played and the way I handled the pressure in the second set. She plays very well, she's an upcoming player, so I'm very pleased with my performance. After a great run in Russia that didn't end well, I'm very glad that I was able to come back strong here."

Next up will be Jessica Pegula and it will be their 4th match overall with their 3rd in less than a year. The most recent came in Melbourne not long ago. Pegula won that match and Sakkari is looking forward to a rematch:

"She played a very good match in Australia, I have to say. It was a tough loss for me, but I'm very excited to play her again. I think it's going to be a very nice match for people to watch and a very nice match for both of us. ... We're both playing well and this is one more time of us facing each other, so I'm excited."