Tennis: Sakkari wins group to reach semis of WTA Finals; Sabalenka also advances

DALLAS – A relentless Maria Sakkari has declared that she is “fearless” after she capped her perfect run through the round-robin stage of the WTA Finals with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Ons Jabeur on Friday to reach the semi-finals in Fort Worth, Texas, along with group runner-up Aryna Sabalenka.

Sakkari broke twice for a 5-1 cushion en route to capturing the first set, which meant Tunisian world No. 2 Jabeur had no mathematical chance of advancing even if she had rallied back to victory.

In the second set, with Sakkari and Sabalenka already safely into the knockout stage, the Greek world No. 5 broke early for a 3-1 lead and raced home from there to improve to 3-0 in the season-ending tournament.

“I’m trusting myself, I’m just fearless on the court and I am enjoying myself here,” Sakkari, who has not dropped a set in Fort Worth, said after the match. “There is no secret behind how I am playing but I think it was about time just to start playing well again and I am very happy that it’s actually happening here.”

The 27-year-old has struggled with confidence most of this season but she looks like a different player at this event. She has now won a career-best 40 main-draw matches in 2022.

“We played each other years ago, I think it was in Fed Cup,” Sakkari added, of Jabeur. “I was joking with her that she was drop-shotting me all the time, playing in Montenegro, in the Group 3 stage, there was nobody there. Just normal players back then. But we both worked our way to the top.”

By winning her group, Sakkari will face either Caroline Garcia or Daria Kasatkina in the semi-finals while Sabalenka will face world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

In the day’s first match, Belarusian world No. 7 Sabalenka eliminated Jessica Pegula with a 6-3, 7-5 victory to improve to 2-1.

Sabalenka made a blistering start, breaking the American to open the match and again for a 5-2 lead. World No. 3 Pegula then fought off four set points to break straight back but Sabalenka broke to love in the next game to wrap up the set.

Pegula fell behind 2-0 in the second but fought back before Sabalenka, at 3-3, delivered a love hold and then came back from 40-15 down for a crushing service break before the American returned the favour to extend the set.

But Sabalenka held to love for the third time in the set, and fourth in the match, for a 6-5 lead and then closed it out on her second match point when she ripped a backhand cross-court winner.

“She’s an amazing player and she made me really work tonight,” said Sabalenka. “Just happy that I was really focused from the beginning to the end and I was able to finish this match in two sets.” REUTERS