Maria Sakkari sealed Greece's spot in the United Cup quarter-finals after saving four set points in the first set and coming from 3-1 down in the second to defeat Leylah Fernandez 7-6(2), 6-3 in Sydney.
Earlier, Stefanos Tsitsipas had made a successful start to his 2024 singles season on Wednesday when he defeated Steven Diez 6-2, 6-3 to give Greece a 1-0 lead over Canada.
To clinch a quarter-final place, Greece needed to either defeat Canada 3-0, or 2-1 if the sets score was not 4-4. Straight-sets wins by Tsitsipas and Sakkari mean that Canada is no longer able to win four sets in the rubber.
Sakkari ultimately captured her third straight-sets win against Fernandez in as many meetings, but had to work especially hard this time round, particularly in a marathon opening set. Nine of its 12 regular games featured at least one deuce, and Sakkari's clutch performance on key points was crucial.
The WTA World No.8 fell behind 2-0, but immediately broke back and saved five out of the six break points she faced in the set. Fernandez, the 2021 US Open finalist, placed Sakkari under continuous pressure with skillful baseline redirections and delicate drop shots, but the Greek player was able to find some of her strongest serves when she needed them.
As in the first set, Fernandez went up an early break in the second. But Sakkari responded in style, reeling off five straight games from 3-1 down to seal the win. The 2023 Guadalajara champion found some of her best shots during the home stretch, ending a terrific offensive rally at net to break back for 3-3 and then breaking Fernandez again for 5-3 by blitzing a forehand winner down the line.
/Petros Tsitsipas and Despina Papamichail make it a clean sweep for Team Greece
