Maria Sakkari clinched the spot at the WTA Finals for the first time by reaching the quarterfinals at the Kremlin Cup on Thursday after advancing past Anna Kalinskaya.
Sakkari is the first Greek woman to qualify for the finals.
“It’s achieving one of my biggest goals this year, it’s very satisfying,” No. 3 seed Sakkari said.
“I’m very proud of myself and my team that we actually made it to the Finals for the first time, and for the first time in the history of Greece for a female tennis player.”
— wta (@WTA) October 21, 2021
@mariasakkari moves into the #VTBKremlinCup QFs following the retirement of Moscow native Kalinskaya.
The No.3 seed hit this sensational lob in the opening gamepic.twitter.com/yKfLi2II1s
Sakkari was leading 6-2, 1-0 when Kalinskaya retired with an illness in the second set.
Sakkari became the first Greek woman to reach the US Open semifinals last month after defeating Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.
Source: WTA Tennis
