Maria Sakkari has a rather good run in Cincinnati where she reached the quarters after demolishing Camila Giorgi in the opener (6-3 6-0) before beating 2 top10 players.
Later on, the upcoming Greek defeated the world no.6 Petra Kvitova 6-4 2-6 6-3 in the 2nd round before winning a sheer battle against Aryna Sabalenka (no.9) in the 3rd round 6-7 (4) 6-4 6-4.
Maria Sakkari live rankings
Currently ranked no.33, Maria has now 1800 “live points” to be projected to go up at least 2 places in the official rankings on Monday. However, the Greek can do much better if she beats her next opponent, Ashleigh Barty, in the quarters. In fact, in that case, she will have 1960 points to be the new world no.24 (that would be a career-high).
Talking about her next opponent in Cincinnati, Maria commented:
“You know my opinion of Ash. She’s so cool. Every day, she’s like, ‘Hey mate!’ It’s so different. She’s so chill, and so relaxed. She’s one of the nicest girls in the locker room and on court. It’s very nice to have good people around us.
We both like to hit with our forehands; we’re not very tall. She uses a little more slice and comes more to the net. I’m more about running and making more balls.”
What about Stefanos Tsitsipas?
The “other” Greek sensation and Maria’s rumored boyfriend, Stefanos Tsitsipas, is going to the other direction after he lost his 3rd consecutive match, the 18th of his still great season, in Cincinnati. Currently ranked no.7, Stefanos may lose another position in the rankings if Daniil Medvedev keeps on winning in Ohio. Still, the 21-year-old will have all the time to get ready for the last slam of the season at the Flushing Meadows.
| SAKKARI AND HER RUMOURED BOYFRIEND TSITSIPAS |
| Embed from Getty Images |
