Sakkari stopped by Rybakina in Russia
Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina defeated Greece’s Maria Sakkari 3-6 7-5 6-1 in the semifinals of the 2020 St. Petersburg Ladies’ Trophy.
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In what was the first ever meeting between the two players, the Greek rallied from 2-3 down in the first set to win it 6-3. Sakkari then overcame a 1-3 deficit in the second set to go up 4-3. However, Rybakina ultimately won the set 7-5. The 20-year-old Kazakh, currently ranked 25th in the world, comfortably took the third set 6-1 to reach her third final of 2020. She will now face defending champion Kiki Bertens (world number eight) of the Netherlands.
With this win, Rybakina now leads the tour with 15 match wins in 2020. She will also break into the top 20 for the first time in her career. On the other hand, Sakkari’s ranking will remain at number 21. Overall, this was a good tournament for the Greek. Not only did she reach her first semifinal since August, but this was also her first semifinal appearance ever at an indoor WTA tournament.
