Maria Sakkari continues her run of incredible form in Abu Dhabi coming back from a 2-6 first set loss against top seep Sofia Kenin. The world number 22 stormed past the young American winning 11 straight games to secure the victory in devastating fashion. The final two games were decidedly one-sided thanks to the counter-punching ability of the young greek athlete, and the 6-2 6-0 scoreline was thoroughly deserved.
Throughout an uncharacteristic first set Sakkari couldn't seem to find her rhythm with a 40% first serve percentage, allowing Kenin to step inside the baseline and take the ball on early, utilising her impeccable ball striking ability to direct herself to a decisive first set victory, capitalising on half of all Sakkari's service points.
However, despite a solid performance from the American, it was clear early on in the second set that Sakkari had other ideas. At 2-2, the match turned in Sakkari's favour, with her solid defence against Kenin's impressive 85% first serve percentage resulting in a flurry of 33 unforced errors from the world number 4 in the remainder of the match.
For Kenin this match signified a missed opportunity to become the world number 3 and take one step closer to that number 1 spot that she is determined to reach. Hopefully we see a return to form for Kenin and her dogged fighting spirit in Australia. Can she defend her title? That remains to be seen as she has a field full of big hitters to overcome in Melbourne.
As far as Sakkari is concerned, her next match against the in-form Sabalenka will be tough. The Belarusian will enter this semi-final matchup on a 13-match winning streak and with some of the most powerful groundstrokes on the WTA circuit, this will be a wholly different challenge for the greek. Truth be told, this match should be a belter!
Comments