Maria Sakkari beat Leylah Fernandez 7-6 (2), 6-3 after a very close match to send Team Greece into the quarter finals of Australia’s United Cup.
After a very difficult match against the combative Fernandez, Sakkari managed to come back from a break in both sets to win 7-6 (2), 6-3 and “seal” the Greek qualification to the quarter finals of the United Cup.
Earlier, Stefanos Tsitsipas had made a successful start to his 2024 singles season on Wednesday when he defeated Steven Diez 6-2, 6-3 to give Greece a 1-0 lead over Canada.
Asked after his match about the strong Greek support he received, Tsitsipas said, “Athens, Sydney, it doesn’t make much difference right now. I am out here enjoying playing tennis. There is a lot of blue and white around the stadium, which happen to be my favourite colours.”
“I always have a lot of energy when I’m playing in Australia, which keeps my blood pumping.”
To clinch a quarter final place, Greece needed to either defeat Canada 3-0, or 2-1 if the sets score is not 4-4. Straight-sets wins by Tsitsipas and Sakkari mean that Canada is no longer able to win four sets in the rubber.
Greece will next compete for the quarter-finals on Friday, facing Alexander Zverev’s Germany.
Source: WTA Tennis.