VIDEO: Maria Sakkari starstruck after producing 'shot of the tournament' in first round triumph

Day one of the Australian Open has come to a close, and we may have already seen the shot of the tournament from Maria Sakkari, who wowed not just the crowd, but herself with an insane forehand return around the net in a 6-4, 6-2 win over Leolia Jeanjean.

The Greek tennis player was too strong for her opponent, continuing the positive showings on court at the start of the 2026 season. After going 4-1 down early on, Sakkari turned up the gears and won five games on the spin with two breaks etched in there. This was enough to take the first set, before she found another break to go 4-2 ahead in the second set.

What followed is already one of the moments of the tournament. Jeanjean unleashed a powerful serve heading away from her. Not only did she miraculously reach it, but found the power and accuracy to guide the ball around the net and down the line into the Frenchwoman's side of the court. Instantly, in utter disbelief and amazement she raised her hands to her head, completely gobsmacked by the shot she just produced. Sakkari was then able to break put a smile and lap in the applause form the crowd with the moment still sinking in.

"I'm 30 years old now, I've been playing tennis for 25 years, I could never imagine that I can actually hit that kind of return," she commented in her on-court interview. She drew comparisons to a certain Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz when speaking about that shot.

"You see when Roger hits it, Carlos and then myself. And I'm like, ah, you know, I'm pretty sure it's going to make one of the best shots of the tournament."

Exactly two years ago, the current world number one produced something similar against Lorenzo Sonego, coming to the net before utilising a one-handed backhand to clip the ball around and in, with his Italian opponent unable to keep the rally going. Federer also produced something similar back in the third round of the 2018 US Open against Nick Kyrgios, but this moment of pure magic from Sakkari surely tops both of them.

"Top one by far," Sakkari stated, labelling it the best shot she has ever done. It's not everyday you hit this kind of a shot. "I didn't know what to think because I never thought I could hit that kind of a shot. It was just so natural, I just hit and I was praying it was going to go in. It was a one-off thing and I'm super excited because I'm sure it's going to be up there with one of the best shots."

She would go on to comfortably get the win, sailing into round two with a very commendable performance out on Margaret Court Arena. Despite the calibre she possesses, Sakkari has never managed to make it past the fourth round in Melbourne, reaching this stage in 2020 and 2022 but coming up short.

She has already done better than last year, and is looking to get back on track and halt her perilous slide down the rankings. It will be a big test in the next round, with either Donna Vekic or world number eight and recent Adelaide International champion Mirra Andreeva the next opponent she must face.