Maria Sakkari moves to Rome quarterfinal over Coco Gauff

Last year it was Coco Gauff who moved on in Rome against Sakkari but this year it was Maria who got the win 6-4 7-5.

Expectedly it was a closely contested match yet it seems like Skkari was much better. The Greek player for the most part controlled the match rather well and only in moments when she lost her focus did Gauff seem to rise to the occasion. Both won their first service game but then lost their next one. Sakkari eventually added another break as Gauff struggled to break her down.

Sakkari is an excellent mover and she was covering the court really well. She attacked when she needed to and defend when she needed to. It was simply a very good game plan executed well for the opening set 6-4 win. The 2nd set opened well for Sakkari once more as she took an early 3-1 lead. She had two break points to make it 4-1 and cruise to an easy finish yet the Greek player lost focus a little bit.

She then complicated things a bit by losing her serve and allowing Gauff to take a 4-3 lead. From a potential 4-1 to 3-4 was not good for Sakkari but she did not get rattled. She rallied well and went on to finish off the match 7-5 with a timely break in the 2nd set. A good win for Sakkari who is picking up form just in time for the French Open.