On the third day of the Australian Open fifth seed Maria Sakkari, defeated Zheng Qinwen 6-1 6-4 in the second round.
The game started with an ace from Zheng and was more dominant until Sakkari managed to turn the tide at 30-all for 1-1, taking the set.
At the end of the first set Zheng took a medical timeout.
Both players stepped it up in a sensational match but Sakkari responded with m ore intensity and took the last three points with many Greek fans chanting her name.
“It felt much better than last match,” Sakkari said in a post-match interview, saying “It’s actually my home tournament… I know it sounds weird saying that, but I don’t have a tournament back home. It feels like I’m at home back here. We all know that Melbourne has a very large Greek community and I’m very pleased and grateful to have them behind me.”
Sakkari will now face 28th seed Veronika Kudermetova in the third round.
Meanwhile, at the Traralgon Junior International another Greek Sofia Kostoula, from Belgium also won the singles title.