Maria Sakkari has been eliminated from the fourth round of the Australian open, after her defeat at the hands of Petra Kvitova, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 2-6.
The 24-year-old athlete came into the game looking confident and capitalised on the many errors made by her opponent who appeared shocked by the young Greek’s display.
The Czech slowly began to find her bearings, yet Sakkari maintained her composure and although the game was led to a tie-breaker, she was able to hold out to claim the set.
Yet it seems the thought of making it through to the quarter-finals for the first time in her career was a bit too heavy for the aspiring Greek, who began to show signs of fatigue in the second set.
Cvitova opened the set with a break, with Sakkari doing a break of her own to gain a 2-1 lead, with the world number seven showing proof as to why she’s in that position.
She went on to win the set 3-6, leaving Sakkari with very little breathing space.
The third and final set also began with the Czech in the driver’s seat, as she gained a 0-3 advantage to place herself in a very advantageous position.
Sakkari attempted to claw her way into the game and closed the gap by 1-3 and 2-4, but it was too little, too late for the young Greek who was forced to admit defeat to a superior opponent.
However Sakkari will have plenty to hold on to as she leaves Melbourne, with this being her first ever presence in a Grand Slam round of 16 and she showed great promise for the future.
Several Greek fans were in the stands of the Rod Laver Arena, cheering Sakkari on with their songs of support.
