Maria Sakkari reached the final of the Athens Open 40 years after her mother, Angeliki Kanellopoulou, finished runner-up at the last WTA tournament previously held in the Greek capital. But just like her mother in 1986, Sakkari also had to settle for second place, making for an emotional ending to a memorable week.
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On Sunday, Sakkari fell to Czech star Barbora Krejcikova 7-6(5) 6-3 in the championship match, unable to complete the fairytale run in front of her home fans. The hard-court tournament marked the WTA Tour’s return to Athens for the first time since 1990, ending a 35-year absence from the Greek capital. For Sakkari, it was a rare opportunity to compete at the highest level on home soil, and in the very stadium where she had once watched her mother play.
Wearing the light purple version of the Adidas London Pro Dress, the former world No. 3 embraced the moment throughout the week, winning her first four matches in straight sets to book a place in the WTA 250 final. Although she came up short against Krejcikova, the week became one of the most meaningful of her career.
Una conexión especial❤️
La WTA llegó a Atenas en 1986 con Angeliki Kanellopoulou🇬🇷 jugando la final
📌35 años despues la capital griega vuelve a ser sede de un torneo WTA y Maria Sakkari🇬🇷, hija de Kanellopoulou, llega a la final para ilusionar al público con una campeona local pic.twitter.com/Ihu6T8YtxF
— Iván Aguilar (@ivabianconero) July 18, 2026
Overcome with emotion during the trophy ceremony, Sakkari thanked the fans: “You made me love tennis even more this week. I never expected that in this stadium, where I used to watch Lena before, that I would one day fight for our country, play in a tournament like this, and that you would offer me all these emotions this week. I really never expected it.”
The runner-up finish was Sakkari’s first appearance in a WTA final since Indian Wells in 2024.
In this week's edition of Sports Are Scripted:
Maria Sakkari's mother Angeliki Kanellopoulou was runner-up of the Athens Open in 1986, where she lost 7-5 6-1 in the final…
40 years later, Maria Sakkari won 6-1 7-5 to reach the final of the Athens Open, where she was runner-up. pic.twitter.com/Yj11aVsMjn
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) July 20, 2026
“I never thought that I would be standing here today, playing in front of this crowd,” Sakkari thanked the audience and her family. “You made me a player. You and, of course, my family, my grandfather and everyone. You made this career possible, so thank you. Thank you for believing in me like no one else.”
Following Monday’s WTA rankings update, Sakkari has climbed four spots from No. 37 to No. 33. (via Tennis World USA)
