Maria Sakkari made short work of last year’s runner-up Sofia Kenin in the fourth round of the French Open to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
The 17th-seeded Sakkari dominated the match and the only time Kenin produced somewhat notable resistance was when she won two games in a row, from 1-5 to 3-5 in the second set. In that stretch, the fourth-seeded Kenin saved one match point and broke Sakkari’s serve when the Greek was serving for victory.
The American’s fightback didn’t gain momentum and Sakkari broke her for the sixth time to progress with a 6-1 6-3 scoreline and become the first Greek woman among the final eight players at a Grand Slam.
The first seven players in the 2021 French Open women’s draw are all ranked outside the Top 10 and have never advanced to the semifinals of a Grand Slam. There’s one more fourth-round match left, between defending champion Iga Swiatek, ranked ninth in the world, and Marta Kostyuk. The winner of that encounter will next face Sakkari. (photo: Jimmie48)
