Sakkari stuns Rogers with comeback victory at Indian Wells

Maria Sakkari overcame Shelby Rogers to advance to the third round of the BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells.

Sakkari arrived at Indian Wells with the responsibility of defending the points she obtained in the previous edition, where she reached the tournament final and was defeated by world No. 1 Iga Swiatek. Shelby Rogers advanced through the first round with a victory over Katie Volynets, where she was able to maintain consistency throughout the match and dominated in the third set, leaving good feelings in her debut.

The American started the match being superior to Sakkari. The world No. 7 only won one point in her first three service games, which the local player took advantage of to get three breaks and go up 4-1. A rain delay forced a break, which helped the Greek player return with a new attitude, but it was not enough to recover in the set.

The former world No. 3 raised her level in the next set and had a close battle with Rogers. The end of the second set was especially tense at 4-4, with Sakkari saving three break points against her to hold her service game. The Greek player went on a streak of 9 consecutive points, which gave her the first set 6-4.

The last set was an absolute domination by Sakkari, who renewed her confidence and achieved a bagel, ending the match 2-6, 6-4, 6-0. The Greek will face Anhelina Kalinina, who defeated youngstar Linda Frühvirtova in the second round.