Maria Sakkari is one step away from glory in Greece.
The Greek star, 30, qualified for the Athens Open final for the very first time after beating Alina Korneeva on Saturday.
Sakkari served two aces and won 74 per cent of her first-serve points en route to a 6-1, 7-5 victory over the Russian youngster.
If you were in charge of tennis, what is the first rule you would change?
Barbora Krejcikova, the two-time Grand Slam singles champion, now stands in the way of Sakkari and the Athens Open trophy.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has offered his support for Sakkari ahead of Sunday’s final, praising his compatriot’s run thus far.
Stefanos Tsitsipas describes Maria Sakkari’s Athens Open run as ‘inspirational’
“Proud of Maria Sakkari’s inspirational run this week in Athens,” Tsitsipas, a two-time major finalist, said in a post on X [formerly Twitter].
“Seeing us both in finals on the same day is a special moment for Greek tennis.
“We’ve shared many milestones over the years, and this is just the beginning of another exciting chapter.”
As mentioned by Tsitsipas, he will contest his own Tour-level final on Sunday afternoon.
Tsitsipas defeated Alexander Shevchenko on Saturday, setting up a Gstaad Open final against seventh seed Raphael Collignon.
Tsitsipas is seeking to win his 13th career title, and a first since the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships [February 2025].
As for Sakkari, she will hope to end her long wait for a second WTA Tour title when she steps onto court on Sunday.
The 30-year-old has won two titles to date; the last was at the 2023 Guadalajara Open [then a WTA 1000 event].
Maria Sakkari’s WTA titles
- 2019 Morocco Open: defeated Johanna Konta 2–6, 6–4, 6–1
- 2023 Guadalajara Open: defeated Carolina Dolehide 7–5, 6–3
Maria Sakkari’s concerning record against Barbora Krejcikova
Sakkari will most certainly have the crowd behind her on Sunday afternoon.
She will need all the support she can get after struggling against the Czech superstar in the past.
The Greek star has never beaten Krejcikova on the WTA circuit, losing all three of their previous meetings.
The pair first met 12 years ago in Torun, Poland. Krejcikova comfortably beat Sakkari 6-4, 6-1.
Seven years later, the duo played each other once more in Dubai.
Again Krejcikova emerged triumphant, securing a 6-2, 7-6 victory over the 16th seed.
The pair last played each other five years ago at the French Open.
Krejcikova came through a titanic contests, winning 7-5, 4-6, 9-7 in the semi-finals.
Krejcikova went on to capture her first Grand Slam singles title, beating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the final.
