Maria Sakkari admits fighting 'very tough' mental battle on way to Guadalajara Open final win over Caroline Dolehide
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Published 24/09/2023 at 09:38 GMT
The Guadalajara Open went the way of Maria Sakkari. as the Greek secured a 7-5 6-3 win over Caroline Dolehide of the United States. It was an emotional victory for Sakkari, as it snapped a four-year run without a title on the WTA Tour, dating back to the Morocco Open of 2019. Sakkari said she would look to savour the moment and use it as a springboard for future success.
'It's amazing, I'm speechless' - Sakkari ends four-year drought with WTA Guadalajara triumph
After four years without a trophy on the WTA Tour, Maria Sakkari returned to the winner’s circle with victory at the Guadalajara Open on Saturday.
The Greek star had lost six finals in a row, but snapped that run when claiming a straight sets, 7-5 6-3, win over Caroline Dolehide.
“It's amazing, I'm speechless,” Sakkari said. “Four and a half years since I won my first title, and I just finally won my second one.”
Sakkari admitted she had to fight a mental battle due to a series of near misses.
“All these thoughts I've been having all this time was very tough to overcome this, and I'm just very proud of myself that I did it this week," Sakkari said.
Sakkari's first tournament success came at the Morocco Open, but victory in Mexico was a step up as she became the first Greek player to hoist a WTA 1000 event.
“I'm just very excited, very happy,” the No. 2 seed added. “I feel like I haven't really realised what I did this week and it's going to take a little bit of time.
"But at the same time, I just want to really enjoy the moment and, today and tomorrow, just keep working hard because I'm sure that more are going to come in the future."
The opening set saw breaks of serve traded before Dolehide double-faulted at break point in the 11th game - allowing Sakkari to edge in front and hold for the set.
The 28-year-old secured an early break in the second set and never faltered, and she secured the win on her opponent’s serve in an hour and 43 minutes.
Sakkari claimed the title without dropping a set, and is set to rise to No. 6 in the world rankings as a result of the triumph.
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