Stringer Maria Sakkari (No. 7) refused to lose to Karolina Pliskova (No. 17) in the match of the tournament, beating the former world No. 1 6-4, 5-7, 6-6 after 2.5 hours. 3 to secure a place in the quarterfinals of Indian Wells for the 2nd year in a row.

To qualify, Sakkari had to go through a thousand waves, changing emotions countless times and the Greek tennis player even found herself with a break in the deciding set (0-2) until she played the next 5 games (!) and ended up with a break to achieve the qualification.

He had to make 9 double faults (23 in total in three games), he had to waste 10 (!) break points in a set but also 22 in the whole game (7/29) before he could celebrate a big win, a big revenge for the heavy defeat a month ago in Dubai by the Czech racquet.

The game started perfectly for Sakkari, who within 10 minutes had won the first 3 games (3-0), but the most important thing was that she had already twice “broke” Pliskova’s serve, who in turn had unimaginable difficulties behind the serve Line won with only 5 points.

However, the Czech responded with a break in game 4, with Sakkari in turn facing the past first serves issue. Pliskova reduced to 3-1 and made it 3-2 with a second series of games and even erased a triple break point!

From then on, the Greek tennis player was able to hold her serve, winning the 1st set after 44 minutes and taking a 1-0 lead for the first time this year in Indian Wells, as in her previous two games she was behind in the score.

The second leg of the match started with two difficult holds from each side, but also a break from each tennis player. Pliskova was the first to find a break, taking a 3-1 lead and taking advantage of the fact that Sakkari was playing second serve again.

However, the number 7 in the world immediately regained her lost serve, reduced it to 3: 2 through Pliskova’s double fault and equalized a little later with another difficult hold to make it 3: 3.

Sakkari continued to press Pliskova’s… fragile serve, even grabbing a triple break point in game 9 (0/40) which the Czech erased while doing exactly the same on Sakkari’s fourth break point, grabbing a huge hold but also at 5-4.

In the next game it was Sakkari’s turn to pull off a big hold, with the Greek tennis player erasing a double set point (15/40) by first finding a heavy serve to equalize at 5-5.

An easy hold followed for Pliskova (6-5) and immediately after a poor service game for Sakkari, who again took the Czech Republic to a double set point (15/40) with back-to-back double faults, which they this time won by taking advantage of and with 7- 5 he equalized at 1-1 and led the game to the deciding set.

The 3rd set started with the game of the tournament as Pliskova eliminated 10(!) break points while Sakkari achieved a huge hold after 19 minutes!

As if that wasn’t enough for the Greek tennis player, she then received a break, with the Czech taking a 2-0 lead. What Sakkari failed to do in the first service game of the deciding set, she did in the 3rd set by immediately taking back her lost serve, shortening it to 2-1 and then equalizing with a loose hold to make it 2-2. The Greek tennis player had now found a rhythm.

With another break and another serve, he made it 4:2 and thus laid the foundation for a great qualification. The icing on the cake for progress to the Quarters came immediately after, as Sakkari broke again (5-2), taking the streak to 5-0 games and picking up the balls to end the game.

Pliskova, on the other hand, extended qualification to Sakkari, scoring a back break to make it 5-3, but the Greek tennis player once again found answers to the Czech’s service and, with another break from a double fault, clinched victory to qualify for the quarterfinals.

In the Indian Wells Quarterfinals, Maria Sakkari will face either Petra Kvitova (World No. 15) or Jessica Pegula (World No. 3).