Maria Sakkari kept up her good run as she defeated Czech Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-4 on Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open quarter-finals. She was absolutely solid with excellent court coverage through the first set as she got the early break in the set by hitting a dozen winners and three aces which Pliskova couldn’t match.
Sakkari ➡️ semifinals pic.twitter.com/trJbFPJcje
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2021
The 17th seed Greek Tennis player maintained the intensity in the second set also as she earned a breakpoint in the seventh game as 2016 runner-up Pliskova failed to match her aggression. The Czech player who was the runner up in this year’s Wimbledon blundered by committing three double faults and 20 unforced errors in the match before Sakkari sealed it up in one hour and 22 minutes.
Sakkari’s serve was the key to her win as she used it with devastating effect winning 22 straight service points after starting the second game of the match down 0-30.
Sakkari said, after the match, that she dedicates this win to people back in her home country, Greece were more than 500 fires forced the evacuation of dozens of villages and thousands of people. She said that winning for her people makes them happy and she loves her country very much.
About the match, Sakkari said that she managed to serve well and was able to control her stress during the later stages of the game to seal it.
Pliskova, who is ranked no.4 in the rankings, came up with another disappointing campaign at the Flushing Meadows. She said that she didn’t play her best tennis today and didn’t think she served well today.
Sakkari will face British teenager Emma Raducanu next in the semifinals. Raducanu has been comfortably winning every match this Grand Slam but Sakkari says she trusts her game enough to sail through this match too.
