Tennis
Sakkari – Mertens 2:0: victory of the soul for Maria, qualified for the semi-finals in St. Petersburg
In a game that was counted in the first set, Maria Sakkari showed enormous mental reserves, defeated Merten’s set 2-0 and qualified for the semi-finals of the St. Petersburg tournament.
Maria Sakkari qualified for the semifinals of the St. Petersburg tournament. Bag yourself A game that was counted in the first set showed enormous mental reserves and won 2-0 against Mertens.
In the first and, as it turned out, decisive set, the world No. 7 had his back to the wall four times but managed to flip the data and claim the win.
Now they meet in the semifinals Irina Begu, who previously beat Martinsova 2-0 (6-4, 6-2). The 31-year-old Romanian is ranked 56th in the world and has won four titles in her career.
This is the third match between the two tennis players and they count from a win.
The game: The first set was a treat for any tennis fan as it had exciting development and lots of twists and turns. The two athletes rarely stayed on duty and offered many impressive rallies.
The breakdance started with Mertens in the third game and two more followed (one each) and then Belgium held on to lead 4-2. Sakkari did the same with 4-3 and then led the next two games 5-4.
Mertens immediately responded with back-to-back games, causing her to finish the set, but Sakkari broke her again and sent the set into the tiebreak. There, Belgium again had chances to make it 1-0 twice, but Sack held out again to make it 1-0 7-6 (7).
The second set was a different story and Sakkari made sure to clarify it from the start. With two quick breaks, he mentally crushed Mertens and led 4-0. Another break followed for the 26-year-old Greek before her opponent managed the break to stay alive in the set.
The Belgian then pared serve down to 5-2 and then had four break points, but Sakkari once again found a way not to interfere and delivered the 6-2 that ended the game.
Jessica Martinez is an author at Sportish, a publication dedicated to sports news and analysis. She covers various topics related to sports and provides insightful commentary on the latest developments in the world of sports.
Russian tennis player Lyudmila Samsonova announced her engagement to her Italian coach Alessandro Dumitrache.
The athlete posted a photo on social media with an engagement ring, which she captioned: “A new chapter begins.” The tennis player also tagged her lover’s account. Samsonova and Dumitrake have been dating since 2020.
Samsonova is 27 years old. She won the WTA tournaments five times and reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2025. Samsonova ranks 17th in the world rankings.
Source: Sportbox
I am a sports journalist who has written for a number of Sportish. I have a background in journalism and have been writing since I was young. My main focus is sports news, but I also write about general news. I am currently working as an author at Sportish.
24-year-old British tennis player Jack DraperThe national team, which ranks 10th in the ATP rankings, will not be able to play in the 2025 Australian Open.
This became known on December 26. Jack recorded a video message in which he stated that he will miss the Australian series completely:
“Unfortunately, my team and I have decided not to travel to Australia this year. This is a really difficult decision because the Australian Open is a Grand Slam event, one of the biggest tournaments in our sport.”
However, I had been suffering from a hand injury for a long time. I am in the final stages of my recovery and returning to the court so early for five-set matches does not seem like a wise decision for me and my tennis.
Of course, I have already experienced many failures. But this was the hardest and hardest I have ever experienced. I expect to be back racing and competing on the field in 2026. Thank you everyone for your support in 2025; This really means a lot to me. I hope to return to tour soon and compete at the highest level again,” Draper said.
Interestingly, Draper only announced that he would play at a major in Melbourne on the 24th of the same month.
Jack has been away from the Tour since late August, when he withdrew from his match against Zizou Bergs in the second round of the US Open, ending his season early.
— jack draper (@jackdraper0) December 26, 2025
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
Professional Tennis Players Association (ATP) gave awards to players based on the results of the 2025 season.
Carlos Alcaraz, the leader in the world rankings, became the best tennis player of the year. His main rival was Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz’s former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero (also Carlitos’ second coach Samuel Lopez) has already received the best coach award.
ATP Awards 2025. All award winners
- Best Tennis Player of the Year – Carlos Alcaraz
- Best Greenhouses of the Year – Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool
- Coach of the Year – Juan Carlos Ferrero (and Samuel Lopez)
- Breakthrough of the Year – Valentin Vachereau
- Favorite of the Year – Jannik Sinner
- Stefan Edberg Award (for sportsmanship) – Carlos Alcaraz
- Arthur Ashe Prize (for humanitarian aid) – Andrey Rublev
- Tournaments of the year – ATP 1000 Cincinnati, ATP 500 Doha, ATP 250 Bostad
- Match of the Year – Monte Carlos Masters Quarter Finals Carlos Alcaraz – Arthur Fiss [4:6, 7:5, 6:3]
VIDEO. Match of the year: Alcaraz vs Fis in the Masters quarter-final in Monte Carlo
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
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