Maria Sakkari claimed the last semifinal spot in Moscow, as the No.3 seed from Greece ousted No.8 seed Simona Halep of Romania, 6-4, 6-4.
In the first meeting between the pair, Sakkari fended off a furious second-set comeback by former World No.1 Halep, and eventually prevailed in an hour and 44 minutes to reach the final four in Moscow for the first time.
"The last few games were a little bit tricky, but that happens, that’s tennis," Sakkari said in her post-match press conference.
Sakkari, like Kontaveit, has had a solid finish to the season, as the Greek has now made the semifinals at three of her last four events. That run notably includes her second Grand Slam semifinal showing of the season at the US Open, and a trip to her first final since 2019 in Ostrava.
Sakkari, currently at a career-high ranking of World No.7 (the highest-ranked Greek woman in WTA rankings history), will take that impressive form into her Akron WTA Finals debut next month.
Sakkari will now take on Ekaterina Alexandrova, the last remaining Russian, for a spot in the VTB Kremlin Cup final.
Source WTA
