Maria Sakkari wasted no time in launching Greece's United Cup campaign, delivering a ruthless 6-0, 6-1 dismantling of Chile's Daniela Seguel in a dazzling display of power and precision. World No. 8 barely broke a sweat, leaving Seguel (world No. 571) chasing shadows and showcasing the gulf between the two players in class.
Sakkari established her dominance from the first point, dictating the pace with thunderous groundstrokes and pinpoint serving. The opening set was a whirlwind for Seguel, disappearing in a mere 26 minutes under a barrage of Sakkari's unrelenting firepower.
While Seguel showed some flickering resistance early in the second set, it was a mere blip in the Greek's charge. Sakkari remained firmly in control, her foot firmly on the accelerator, and closed out the match with a flourish.
“I don’t feel match sharp but I feel good,” Sakkari said.
“I’m very happy to have given my team the first point and I have full belief in the team so I’m super excited for what’s coming.”
The last nation to kick off their United Cup campaign, Greece are in Group B with Canada, who defeated Chile 2-1 in their opening clash.
Stefanos Tsitsipas – runner-up at last year’s Australian Open – was set to face Chile’s Nicolas Jarry in the men’s singles rubber later on Tuesday but pulled out at the last minute with an injury concern.
Tsitsipas is struggling with a back issue and was replaced by 19-year-old Stefanos Sakellaridis for the singles rubber.
