After a three-hour long thrilling tennis match, Maria Sakkari (no.32) lost 6-4, 6-7 (10), 6-3 to USA’s Peyton Stearns (no.47) in the second day of Adelaide International qualifiers.
It follows an encounter cut short with Zheng Saisai on Friday, after her Chinese opponent retired from the match due to an elbow injury.
Sakkari fought hard against Stearns, managing a tie break in the second set, but failed to build on the momentum, with Stearns eventually locking her win with a love service game in the third set.
Despite coming out defeated from the final round of qualifiers, the Greek player still has a chance to enter the main draw of the tournament as a lucky loser.
A lucky loser is a player who is beaten in the qualifying rounds but who gets handed a lifeline into the main draw following the withdrawal of another player, typically due to illness or injury.
