Rebeka Masarova upsets Maria Sakkari at the 2023 US Open

Maria Sakkari, the No. 8 seed, had every advantage going into her Round 1 match against Spain’s Rebeka Masarova, No. 71 in the world. The players have had one prior meeting, in Madrid this year, a third-round match Sakkari won in three sets.

Still, a cool-headed and confident Masarova prevailed, taking the match 6-4, 6-4—and posting the 2023 US Open’s first major upset.

The start of the match saw Sakkari at her most strategic—and stylish—best. She hammered two aces in the first game, taking it 40-0, and put on a show of knife-like slices, drop shots, and even some net play. For her part, the 6-foot-1 Spaniard held her own, using her height and speed to track down Sakkari’s deep, angled groundstrokes. Masarova started surging when down 2-4, broke her opponent’s serve to level the match, and then again to take the first set 6-4.

Video: Masarova vs. Sakkari: Round 1 Highlights
The second set started under threatening skies. But the rain held off—as did Sakkari’s comeback. The Greek player quickly fell behind and, with errors plaguing her play, dropped the second set as well. Masarova closed out the match on her serve, 6-4.

WHAT IT MEANS: Sakkari hasn’t reliably pulled off deep runs at Grand Slams, suffering eight Round 1 losses in her 31 main draw appearances, most recently at Wimbledon this year. She entered—and exits—the 2023 US Open, her ninth, with a 2021 semifinal match as her best result.

MATCH POINT: With her Round 1 win, Masarova has already beaten the highest-seeded player she’ll meet in her quarter of the draw—that is, until a potential quarterfinal match against No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina. Before that, Masarova could meet No. 10 seed Karolina Muchova, who played consecutively—but more quickly—moving onto the second round after a 6-4, 6-0 win over Storm Hunter.