(VIDEO) Sakkari receives love from DC Open crowd, shout of 'I love you Maria' on break point which raises smile from Pegula

Greece’s Maria Sakkari received a lot of love from the crowd during the ongoing Citi DC Open.

The 28-year-old booked her place in the final of the competition after beating America’s Jessica Pegula with a score of 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in the last-four clash.

During the match, a fan yells ‘I love you Maria’ which brought a slight smile to the face of Sakkari who ended up the day on a winning note as well.

Sakkari is now scheduled to face America’s young tennis star Coco Gauff in the final of the event on Sunday.

Sakkari will be hoping to win the title and march towards the upcoming US Open in full confidence which is set to begin in less than a month’s time.

The Athens-born has already played in the semifinal of the fourth Grand Slam of the year back in 2021 where she was defeated by eventual champion Britain’s Emma Raducanu in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-4.

However, since then, Sakkari has hit a lean patch as she has not played in the quarterfinals or beyond in any of the Grand Slams.