"It would've been amazing if this match was over an hour ago" jokes Maria Sakkari after late slip in crushing Coco Gauff win
WTASaturday, 16 March 2024 at 10:30
Superb Maria Sakkari beat US Open champion Coco Gauff in a rain-delayed match and set up a final with Iga Swiatek at the 2024 Indian Wells Open in California as her rise from the tennis ashes contninues.
Sakkari won 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 in a crushing win which could've been even more emphatic. She went 5-2 up in the second set, before letting Gauff back in. But in the end, the Greek who has struggled with form for the past 12 months but has found new fire under coach, David Witt rallied to seal the final set. She joked afterwards that she wishes the match was done a lot sooner.
"I don't want to disrespect Coco but it would've been amazing if this match was over an hour ago," Sakkari joked afterwards. "Coco is such an amazing opponent. I'm just so happy I'm in the final once again here."
But despite that late slip, she was proud about how she rallied towards victory. “I didn’t give up. You can easily lose your head when you lose that 2nd set from being match point up. Things go wrong and I was down a break. Things didn’t look right, but I just kept believing & kept fighting. I’m very happy I have a great team with me. They always encourage me. It’s amazing to have them by my side.”
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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