Tennis
Sakkari broke down in tears after her expulsion: ‘I feel like I embarrass all Greeks’
Maria Sakkari is in a bad situation after her disqualification who, with tears in her eyes, expressed her thoughts that she can take a break from the games. Our champion erupted because of her failure at the US Open.
Maria Sakkari lost to Spaniard Rebecca Masarova 2-0 (6-4, 6-4) and was eliminated in the first round of the US Open. Both in her statements at the press conference and on Eurosport, it could be seen that the 28-year-old Greek was in poor mental health and her eyes were watering, while at one point she burst into tears.
She was first questioned about the complaints she had made to the referee in her match about an odor present and it was clarified: “It was cannabis. This smell did not affect me at all. It was just a comment, it has nothing to do with the game. There was a smell in training yesterday too, but that’s irrelevant.”
Never smells food, never food, cannabis. We can’t control it, it’s a backyard and people can do whatever they want. You don’t think about it, you just care about winning the game. He didn’t pay much attention.
About her negative streak at a Grand Slam she said: “I thought I might turn it around, but apparently I was wrong. I don’t have much to say, sorry.”
When asked about the game, he said: “If I don’t put pressure on my team, the opponent will play well. She is a very good player, tall, serves well. They all play well these days. If I played 5-10% better, I would win.” Game, these are the games I have to win.
For my level, that’s a lot of games this season. It’s sad. It has served me well, but it’s nothing I haven’t experienced before. I’ve played with good servers in the past, but my level has been low every now and then and I need to do something about it.
It’s certainly not because you haven’t tried. I don’t know, there is uncertainty now, I don’t know what I’m going to do. Should I take a break or not?.
She then spoke to Eurosport, where her statements were on a similar wavelength. In her first statement she said: “I think my level was below zero. At the level I’m at, it’s very bad to compete like that. It hurts a lot and okay, it’s very difficult to deal with all this right now, it’s very painful.”
On the occasion of her comment, she was asked about the reorganization and she emphasized: “The new year seems far away for me. It’s about what I’m going to do from now on, starting tomorrow. Being able to take a break and align my mind and thoughts is a scenario. The other scenario.” It’s just about going on this year and doing my best to play two or three more tournaments and whatever.
At that moment it’s very “fresh” what’s right or what I want to do, it’s also the current feelings of struggle. I have these two scenarios in mind and it’s very frustrating. I feel like I’ve shamed myself, I’ve shamed my people, I’ve shamed all Greeks.
Source: sport 24
37-year-old Croatian tennis player Marin Cilic (ATP 70) Made a successful start to the 2026 Australian Open.
In the first round, Croatia beat the German representative in three sets Daniel Altmaier (ATP 44) In 2 hours and 1 minute, he caused the opponent team to lose two balls in the first two matches.
Australian Open 2026. 1/64 finals
Daniel Altmaier (Germany) – Marin Cilic (Croatia) – 0:6, 0:6, 6:7 (3:7)
Cilic played his first head-to-head match against Altmaier.
Cilic became the first unseeded player since Philipp Petzschner at the 2012 Australian Open to win the first two sets of a match at a Grand Slam, 6-0.
It’s funny that Altmaier was red-capped three times in a row and lost 25 games in total. Before the Australian Open 2026, Daniel played in competitions in Adelaide and lost to Jauma Munyar 3:6, 0:6 in the first round, but was ahead with a score of 3:0.
Cilic will play against 21st-seeded Denis Shapovalov (Canada, ATP 23) in the second round of the major tournament in Melbourne.
Video review of the match
Photo gallery of the match
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.
Tennis
Swiatek begins his journey to win his first Australian Open trophy with a hard-fought victory
January 19 Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek He made a successful start to the 2026 Australian Open.
In the first round, the Polish woman defeated the Chinese representative in two sets Yuan Yue (WTA 130) in 1 hour 57 minutes.
Australian Open 2026. 1/64 finals
Yuan Yue (China) [Q] – Iga Swiatek (Poland) [2] – 6:7 (5:7), 3:6
Returning with a score of 3:5 in the first game, Iga did not allow his opponent to serve for the set in the 10th game.
Swiatek played against Yuan Yue for the second time. At the end of September 2025, Iga defeated the Chinese woman in the second round of competition in Beijing.
Iga has yet to win the Australian Open trophy. Her next opponent will be Czech Maria Bouzkova (Czech Republic, WTA 44).
Swiatek became the first tennis player since Carolina Pliskova (25 consecutive wins from Wimbledon 2016 to Australian Open 2023) to win 25 or more consecutive opening matches in women’s singles Grand Slam tournaments.
Video review of the match
Photo gallery of the match
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.
Daniil made me a little nervous, but still started in Melbourne with a confident victory.
Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev simultaneously began the Australian Open 2026 with victories. Both Russian tennis players confidently passed the first round, even if the match scenarios turned out to be different. Medvedev had to spend almost three hours and go through a nervous ending, while Rublev dealt with his opponent quickly and to the point.
Medvedev’s nervous start and victory via tiebreaker
Daniil Medvedev started the tournament with a match against Jesper de Jong and immediately set the pace high. Already in the first game, the Russian made a break, but was unable to get through the opening game calmly. The Dutchman returned to the game several times, and with the score 5:4, Medvedev was unable to serve for the set. Nevertheless, Daniil added again at the reception and closed the game – 7:5 in 59 minutes.
In the second set, Medvedev looked noticeably more confident. A quick break, then another – and the score was 3:0 at the start. This time the Russian did not delay: the game ended with a score of 6:2, and from the very first set point.
The third set turned out to be the most intense. De Jong fought back, saved break points and forced Medvedev to run a lot. Daniil still took the lead with a break and was close to closing the match at 5:4 and 6:5, but both times he failed to handle his serve, making several double faults. Everything was decided in a tiebreaker, where Medvedev scored a beautiful point – 7:6 (7:2).
Result – 7:5, 6:2, 7:6 (7:2) in 2 hours 55 minutes. Medvedev made nine aces, converted seven out of 13 break points and after the match honestly admitted that the start was not easy.
– Today was hard – it was my first match at a Grand Slam tournament this year. Last season I often lost in the first round at such competitions; here I managed to win only one match. I hope to improve in the next meetings. In some episodes I should have acted more accurately, but the first lap at a Slam is always difficult,” Medvedev said in an interview after the match.
In the second round of the Australian Open, the Russian will play against Frenchman Quentin Ghaly, who ranks 83rd in the ATP rankings.
Rublev passed Arnaldi without any drama
Andrei Rublev in his opening match against Matteo Arnaldi did not have a long swing. In the first set, the key game was the fifth game, when the Russian broke the Italian’s serve and led 3:2. This advantage was enough for Rublev – 6:4 in 48 minutes. In the second game, Andrey immediately went ahead – 4:0, confidently held his serve and calmly closed the set with a score of 6:2 in just half an hour.
In the third set, Arnaldi tried to cling to the match. After the break, Rublev found himself under pressure on his serve: he was losing 15:40, but withstood the pressure, pulled out a difficult game and confirmed the advantage – 4:2. Then the Russian controlled the situation and brought the match to victory. The Italian’s double fault on match point put an end to it.
Rublev won the match in 1 hour 52 minutes – 6:4, 6:2, 6:3, completing eight aces and not allowing his opponent to convert a single break point. In the second round of the Australian Open, Andrey will meet with 22-year-old Portuguese Jaime Faria.
The bright start of our tennis players gives reason to hope that they will be able to go far through the grid of the first Grand Slam tournament of the season. Moreover, it is very important for both Daniil and Andrey to start the season successfully, since for both of them the game largely depends on their psychological state.
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.
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