Fourth-seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece beat eighth-seeded Veronika Kudermetova of Russia on Friday in a match that had more at stake than just a spot in the semifinals of the Guadalajara (Mexico) Open Akron.
The 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 victory gives Sakkari the last berth in the WTA Finals, scheduled for Oct. 31-Nov. 7 in Fort Worth, Texas. Kudermetova would have grabbed that bid had she won the match.
Sakkari put 76 percent of her first serves in play and was particularly clutch in the key moments, saving 14 of 15 break points. Kudermetova had a 63 percent first-serve rate and staved off six of the nine break points she faced.
Sakkari’s semifinal opponent will be Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova, who advanced when Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya retired from the match due to a foot injury with Bouzkova leading 5-2 in the first set.
The other semifinal will feature third-seeded Jessica Pegula of the United States and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. Pegula cruised past another U.S. player, Sloane Stephens, 6-2, 6-2, while Azarenka knocked out fifth-seeded Coco Gauff of the United States 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-3.
–Field Level Media
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