Greek tennis star Maria Sakkari is through to the second round of Wimbledon after defeating Russian opponent Anna Blinkova 6-4, 6-4 in 78 minutes on Court 8.
Currently ranked No. 77 in the world, Sakkari started strong in the opening set, breaking early to take a 5-2 lead. However, she allowed Blinkova (ranked No. 78) to fight back to 5-4, saving three set points in the process. Sakkari eventually held her nerve to close out the set in 42 minutes.
The second set was a tighter contest, with both players holding serve through the opening games.
Sakkari pulled ahead to 4-2, only for Blinkova to immediately respond with a break of her own and level the score at 4-4. From there, Sakkari relied on her powerful serve to regain control, holding for 5-4 before securing the decisive break to claim victory.
Sakkari will now face either Armenia’s Elina Avanesyan or Russia’s Elena Rybakina in the second round of the prestigious Grand Slam tournament.
Source: zougla.gr