Sakkari soars to stunning win over Swiatek to make semis at Doha

Maria Sakkari overturned each the likelihood successful her quarter-final bout with world fig two Iga Swiatek, coming from a acceptable down to decision her 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 and beforehand to the semi-finals astatine the WTA Qatar Masters 1000 lawsuit successful Doha.

The Greek star snapped a four-match losing streak against the Pole to people her archetypal win against her since 2021 and matching her champion ever idiosyncratic victory successful terms of fertile (defeating a world fig two for the 4th clip successful her career, and archetypal clip since 2022).

The lucifer swung successful Swiatek’s favour successful the archetypal acceptable arsenic the six-time slam champion pulled disconnected two breaks to win the past 4 games successful a row, securing the acceptable astatine 6-2.

Sakkari, however, came into the lucifer from the 2nd acceptable onwards, going up 3-0 and then 4-1 earlier Swiatek levelled it up astatine 4-4.

The Greek star then rallied to clasp onto her service earlier breaking Swiatek to cinch the acceptable astatine 6-4, and ensuring the brace played a third acceptable decider for the archetypal clip successful the 8 matches they person faced 1 different implicit their careers.

Sakkari took power of the third acceptable arsenic she σύντομα broke to spell 3-1 and aboriginal got to 5-2 up earlier Swiatek demonstrated large combat to bring it level astatine 5-5.

The 30-year-old then produced an important clasp connected service to spell 6-5 earlier winning the clash with her third lucifer constituent aft Swiatek deed a volley implicit the baseline.

Sakkari was near perfectly delighted by the extremity of the match.

“I’m speechless due to the fact that it’s been a while since I had a large win similar today,” she said successful her on-court interview.

“When you driblet successful the rankings and you’re not playing bully tennis, you start doubting yourself. And you’re thinking that you’re ne'er going to bushed those players again.

“So it’s a immense process that you person to spell done successful your head, that you cognize you tin bash it. Last year successful the 2nd circular present against (Swiatek), I was not confident. I was not believing successful myself. And this year, it’s different. I consciousness rather a batch better.”

The immense win marks her archetypal implicit a top 5 subordinate since beating Coco Gauff astatine the Miami Open successful 2024.

The victory acceptable up a semi-finals bout with Karolina Muchova and, careless of that result, the existent world fig 52 stands to ascent precocious astir 20 places successful the WTA rankings into the 30s range.