Sakkari edges out Kvitova in two-hour epic at Indian Wells, books semifinal showdown with Sabalenka

In a battle that saw both competitors leave everything on the tennis courts, Maria Sakkari outlasted Petra Kvitova to advance to the semifinals at the BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells on Wednesday night.

The seventh seed pulled off a 4-6 7-5 6-1 victory, rallying from a set down to secure her spot in the final four. The Greek star was ineffective during her service games at the start of the match, hitting only a paltry 38% of first serves. Conversely, Kvitova had no such troubles, winning 75% of points behind her first serve as she obtained two breaks and claimed the opening set.

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Sakkari improved her serves in the second, as she saved four of five break points and frustrated her Czech opponent into making errant shots. This enabled the Greek star to obtain an important break towards the end of the second set, halting any chances of a tiebreak and forcing a decider.

Kvitova, having spent over two hours on court in her round of 16 win over Jessica Pegula yesterday, was unable to summon any more of her reserves in the final set. The 33-year old looked exhausted, as Sakkari was quick to pounce on her weak second serve, while winning 93% of her own first serve points. A double break ensured her victory, as the match came to it's conclusion after two hours and 15 minutes.

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Awaiting Sakkari in the semifinals is reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, who overpowered Coco Gauff earlier in the day during their quarterfinal encounter.

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