Greece’s Maria Sakkari recorded her fourth Top 10 victory of the season on Tuesday night at the Western & Southern Open, as she downed No.6 seed Petra Kvitova in the second round, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.
After winning the first set, Sakkari found herself ultimately down a break in the decider against the two-time Wimbledon champion, but won five of the last six games to seal a second win in three meetings against the Czech this year.
“She’s an unbelievable player. There’s no doubt…she plays extremely fast and puts you in a position where you feel uncomfortable with your tennis,” Sakkari said on-court after the match.
“I just fought hard and made a lot of balls. Fighting hard, that’s my spirit. I feel really good and very confident to be playing against these players. A few years ago, I was just watching them on TV back home.
“I never thought I would be here, playing against them and winning against them. It’s a dream coming true for me.”