Sakkari wins battle of WTA Finals debutants against Swiatek in Guadalajara

Maria Sakkari and Iga Swiatek made their WTA Finals debuts tonight with the Greek player proving better winning 6-2 6-4.

Iga Swiatek has not had a very good last couple of months with the Polish player struggling with form and confidence in her play. She is a player whose tennis depends largely on the way she feels and lately, she has not been feeling too well on the court. Today was more of the same as the Polish player came into the match fairly erratic.

The conditions in Guadalajara suit her rather well but her aggressive playstyle was very shaky early on and Sakkari was able to quickly secure a double break lead. That lead turner to a fairly easy first set 6-2 finish that injected Sakkari with more confidence.

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Determined not to make it too easy on her opponent Swiatek raised her level in the 2nd set but Sakkari responded accordingly. The Polish player was winning her games but it was not easy. She had to play lengthy rallies that she does not like to play at all. Her serve was not bailing her out either while Sakkari kept thins rather quick with her own superb serving.

Midway through the set, Swiatek hit another wall unable to finish off the game, and eventually, Sakkari found some break points. She converted them to take a 4-3 lead which became a 5-3 lead with a strong service game. After that, it was a routine finish for the Greek who closed it out with 6-4. An impressive win for Sakkari who won over 90 % of her first serves in the match.

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Greece Lightning! 🇬🇷 ⚡ @mariasakkari brings the power and takes the first set 6-2 against Swiatek. 💪 #AKRONWTAFinals

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