Linz: Maria Sakkari makes sturdy begin, bounces again after Australian Open 1R loss

Maria Sakkari has made a fairly sturdy begin on the WTA 500 event in Linz after dismantling world No. 64 Viktoriya Tomova 6-3 6-2 in an hour and 17 minutes of play.

The No. 3 seed – who had a first-round bye on the Austrian occasion – earned the primary break of the match within the second recreation.

Immediately within the following recreation, the Bulgarian had an opportunity to get the break again however didn’t convert a break level.

In the remainder of the set, Sakkari missed out on two break factors within the sixth recreation nevertheless it did not change a lot since she routinely held on to her serve to shut out the opener.

The Greek then continued her wonderful play early in the beginning of the second set, claiming back-to-back breaks to win 5 video games in a row and open a 5-1 lead.

Within the seventh recreation, Sakkari had an opportunity to complete the match on a six-game run however she did not convert a match level on Tomova’s serve.

Nevertheless, she remained calm and put an finish to the match on her serve within the following recreation.

Maria Sakkari and Viktoriya Tomova© X screenshot

In the course of the match, the previous world No. 3 fired 5 aces – realized three of seven break factors – and saved the lone break level she confronted. 

Now, the No. 3 seed awaits within the quarterfinal the winner of the match between No. 5 seed Dayana Yastremska and Antonia Ruzic. 

Sakkari bounced again from a disappointing Australian Open loss

Earlier than coming to Linz, the Greek disappointingly misplaced to Camila Osorio within the Australian Open first spherical.

That loss put her on a 2-5 file in 2025 as she additionally did not do significantly nicely on the United Cup or the Adelaide Worldwide.

Contemplating her gradual begin to the season, it was completely vital for Sakkari to make a great begin in Linz and attempt to make a run. 

Up to now, the previous world No. 3 performed in Linz as soon as and reached the semifinal in 2023.