Maria Sakkari could not overcome the obstacle of Petra Martic, the 32-year-old athlete from Croatia won 2:1 sets and qualified for the final of the Leeds tournament.

The 27-year-old Greek (No. 7) won the first set, but the rest belonged to Martic (No. 34), who won the next two and takes on Potapova on Sunday lunchtime (12.02, 16.00).

The match: In the first two games, the two gymnasts held their serves loosely. However, from there we had a great fight with both break opportunities.

In fact, they had each lost 5 when Sakkari made the winning move on the sixth opportunity she created, as it turned out to be a break in game eight, and then finished the set 6-3.

Unlike the first set, the second set ended easily in Martic’s hands. The athlete from Croatia managed two quick breaks to take a 4-0 lead. Sakkari hit back, getting a break back, but Martic finished the second set 6-3.

In the third set, the two athletes were extra cautious, holding until the eighth game. In the next, Martic broke and then closed the set 6-4.