Greece’s tennis star Maria Sakkari beat 10th seed American Madison Keys 6-4, 6-4 to advance through to the final 16 at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Sakkari was playing a Grand Slam third round for the eighth time in her career and finally broke through in great style, booking a spot in the Round of 16 with 2019 runner-up Petra Kvitova after one hour and 15 minutes on Margaret Court Arena.
The 22nd seeded Greek player won most of the points on the second serve and with the Greek Australian supporters behind her, Maria gave them plenty to cheer about.
“I love them, they are the best. It’s always been special for me to come back here because it’s like playing at home for me. So I really love them and they make me play better and feel better on the court,” Maria told reporters.
"I think I can win this tournament- I believe in myself, I am not afraid of any opponent- I am not letting myself be very happy, because I don't want it to stop here- A 4th round cannot be the best moment of my career," she continued.
Bravo Maria!
After an intense game on Thursday night, Nick Kyrgios has advanced to the third round and will play Russian Karen Khachanov at 6:50pm (Eastern Australia Time) on Melbourne Arena.
*Images by Nick Bourdaniotis/Bourdo Photography (Copyright)