Maria Sakkari advanced to the second round of the WTA 1000 Beijing Tennis Open after outlasting American Ashlyn Krueger in a three-set thriller lasting three and a half hours, the third-longest match of 2025.
Krueger, 21 and ranked No. 45, pushed the former world No. 3 to her limits, converting 7 of 17 break points against Sakkari’s 8 of 17.
Both players forced tiebreaks in the opening two sets, with Sakkari taking the first before Krueger leveled in the second.
In the deciding set, Sakkari, now ranked No. 56, held on to seal a 7-5 win and book a clash with Leylah Fernandez of Canada, currently ranked No. 25.
