He reached the… source but he didn’t drink the water Maria Sakkari. The Greek champion succumbed to Pegula’s pace in the third set and lost the chance to qualify for the tournament final (1-2 sets).
He came back from… Tartara in the second set to level the world No. 7 at 1-1, making two consecutive breaks, however, in the third she never managed to get into the game, with the American champion cruising to a 6-1 victory.
Very bad start at the start of all three sets for Maria, who failed to hold her serve in any of them, starting her quest at a disadvantage.
The match
The game started with the worst omens for the Greek champion, who failed to hold her serve, while Pegula made another break in the 5th game, reaching 4-1. Despite the fact that Sakkari answered with a break for 4-2, the American immediately got her… blood back and finally took the first set with 6-2.
The second set started the same way for the world No. 7, but then things were different. The best Greek tennis player broke in the 4th game, reaching 2-2, which she failed to capitalize on, as Pegula immediately broke for 3-2. Sakkari, however, was determined to take the set, which she did a little later, making it happen two consecutive breaks on her opponent’s serve, eventually reaching the 6-4 and in the 1-1 set.
Enjoy that one, Maria? ??@mariasakkari | #QatarTennis pic.twitter.com/kKbC1nleG2
— wta (@WTA) February 17, 2023
The third set was disastrous for the Greek champion, with Pegula breaking again in the first game. Then, although Sakkari answered with a break, Pegula did three consecutive breaks and easily qualified for the final in Doha, reaching the 6-1.
The sets (1-2): 2-6, 6-4, 1-6
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