Maria Sakkari eases past native Clara Burel at Roland Garros

Maria Sakkari had a tremendous run in Paris last year and she got off to a good start this year taking down Clara Burel 6-2 6-3 in the Roland Garros round one.

The Greek player had a very solid start to this match which was a welcome change after several lacklustre performances in the past few weeks. Sakkari is not coming to Paris in great form but she routinely passed this test despite some hiccups. She broke Burel early in the match but allowed herself to get broken as well but that did not sway her from her path.

She continued playing well attacking with her forehand as Burel was not able to find a solution. Sakkari won the opening set 6-2 but lost her serve in the first game of the 2nd set. She broke back immediately which was crucial for her to maintain belief and confidence in herself and her game. For a while Burel was able to hold her serve but eventually, Sakkari started to create chances.

She took her chance at 4-3 to take a 5-3 lead finishing off the match with 6-3. In the post-match interview, Sakkari admitted it was great to back and she hopes to go further this year than last year. Well, she is one step closer to that goal, the goal of winning the French Open.