Can Sakkari Secure First Grand Slam Win in 2023?
2023 is a big year for Maria Sakkari as she bids for her first Grand Slam triumph. After being knocked out of the Australian Open at the third hurdle, the Athens-born ace will now turn her attention to the upcoming French Open.
Still A Lot to Play for in Melbourne
Sakkari may have lost out in the third round, but there is still a lot of tennis action left in the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. Looking at the latest odds on tennis Australian Open, the women’s tournament is wide open in the betting, but Novak Djokovic remains the red-hot favorite to win the men’s edition. Djokovic is available at just 4/11 to secure another Australian Open trophy.
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 19, 2023
Sakkari Eliminated in Round Three
Sakkari had an up-and-down kind of tournament Down Under. She went to Australia full of confidence, and the 27-year-old made an emphatic start, winning 2-0 in her first game and 2-1 in round two.
Sakkari then went up against Zhu Lin in the third round of the Australian Open. After losing the first set on a tiebreak, Sakkari blew Zhu away in the second set, winning 6-1. However, the ace from Beijing regained her composure and claimed a 6-4 third-set victory to send Sakkari packing.
Greek Yet to Build on Memorable 2021
2021 was a memorable year for Sakkari, as he finally announced herself on the world stage with two impressive Grand Slam performances. Sakkari reached the semi-finals of the French Open in Paris, which was her best Grand Slam result at the time. Unfortunately, she was beaten in the last four by Barbora Krejcikova, who went on to win the Roland Garros tournament.
She followed that up with another semi-final, this time at the 2021 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. She may have lost out on a place in the final, but Sakkari put in some fine performances in the States, including an impressive two-set victory over Karolina Pliskova in the quarters. Unfortunately, Sakkari has struggled to build on that over the past 18 months or so. Last year, she reached round four of the Australian Open and was knocked out in the third round of Wimbledon.
Time For Sakkari to Kick On?
With so much talent coming through in the women’s game right now, Sakkari faces an uphill challenge to win a Grand Slam this year. However, as she has shown in previous Slams, Sakkari is more than capable on her day.
Maria on 🎞#WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/lQ89MQkV31
— wta (@WTA) November 3, 2022
Her aggressive style is a joy to watch, and she has one of the most powerful serves in the women’s game. In 2020, Sakkari served 144 aces in 31 matches.
The French Open is the next Grand Slam tournament on the 2023 calendar, and the former world No. 3 will be looking to better her semi-final place of 2021 and win the first Grand Slam of her eight-year professional career.
