Sakkari shows Begu the exit door advances to semi-final clash with Sabalenka at Madrid Open

WTA
Tuesday, 02 May 2023 at 23:09
copyright proshots 20234548

Maria Sakkari had to battle for almost three hours to defeat Irina Begu 6(3)-7, 6-4, 6-2.

Sakkari had lost in the first round of Stuttgart, the only clay-court match she had played this year before coming to the Madrid Open. On the Spanish courts, the Greek player found her level and reached the quarterfinals after a great victory over the local Paula Badosa in two sets.

Irina Begu reached the Madrid Open quarterfinals for the third time in her career, following her run in 2015, where she lost to the eventual champion Petra Kvitova, and a similar situation in 2017, where her compatriot Simona Halep eliminated her before going on to win the tournament. This year, the world No. 35 defeated difficult opponents in her path, including Karolina Muchova, Shelby Rogers, and Liudmila Samsonova.

The first set had both players struggling on their serves, exchanging breaks on both sides. Sakkari had the opportunity to win the set with her serve when she was up 5-3, but the Romanian player came back and everything went to a tiebreaker. Begu won five points in a row and took the set 7-6(3) in 76 minutes.

In the second set, Sakkari was more precise, although she still had doubts on her serve. Begu showed resistance to worry the Greek player. Despite being up 5-2 and with serve in hand, the world No. 10 got into trouble towards the end, but managed to come out on top 6-4. The final part of the match showed Begu more physically weakened against a Sakkari who took advantage of the drop shots to win several points.

In a total of 2 hours and 55 minutes, Sakkari won a difficult match and will face Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid semifinals.

Maria Sakkari beats Irina Camelia Begu 6-7(3) 6-4 6-2 in Madrid Once again, I am left stunned by Maria’s ability to grit her teeth and survive. She’s the definition of a top-notch athlete. ✅1st Madrid SF Determined, resistant, & willing to do whatever it takes. 🇬🇷🤍🇬🇷

Image
78
Reply

Just In

Popular News

Latest Comments