Sakkari 0-2 Sambalenka: Maria’s great run in Madrid ended in the semis

Maria Sakkari’s stellar presence at the Madrid Open ended in the semifinals of the tournament after Arina Sambalenka defeated the Greek 2-0 in sets.

The world No. 2 confirmed his excellent form this year and managed to qualify for the final.

On the other hand, Maria Sakkari had some problems with her serve (especially the second) while having a particularly low break point rate, which comes at a cost in matches like this.

The match: Sabalenka started the game stronger and took a 3-0 lead with a quick break. However, Sakkari responded with the same coin and quickly leveled the set (3-3).

The 27-year-old Greek had two break chances but Sabalenka held in the seventh game. The two athletes held until the tenth game, with the Belarusian earning her second break to finish the set 6-4.

At the beginning of the second set, Sambalenka had another chance for a quick break, but Sakkari erased it, while the Belarusian athlete did the same immediately afterwards.

From then on, Arina Sabalenka completely dominated the court, managed two breaks and won the set 6:1, thereby securing qualification for the final at the same time.