WIMBLEDON
01.07.2024 | 14:20
Maria Sakkari celebrates a point in her match with Iga Sviontek
@2024 RYAN SUN/AP IMAGE
Maria Sakkari was the absolute leader in her fight with McCartney Kessler for the 1st round of Wimbledon, with the Greek champion winning 6-3, 6-1 and getting a ticket to the second round of the famous Grand Slam.
Maria Sakkari (No. 9) wanted to have a good match in her Wimbledon debut, to STOP the negative streak of victories in the first rounds, in the last tournaments she took part in, and her wish came true.
And that’s because it was against McCartney Kessler (No. 118) that she applied her own rules early on and didn’t let the American believe for a moment in the surprise, with the Greek champion winning typically 6-3 , 6-1 and taking. another ticket for the second round.
Basically, Sakkari was the only one in the first set against the resistance up to a point, Kessler making the first break and taking a 3-2 lead in the games but after that there was a persistent counter-attack from Maria, who not only paid the same medal (she broke her opponent’s serve) but took the next three games to win the first set 6-3.
This fact gave her enormous momentum and self-confidence and these elements made their appearance in the second set in combination with the difference in quality and experience of the two players, with Sakkari being extremely impressive and taking a comfortable 6-1 victory. in style until the next round of the competition.