In Madrid, Maria Sakkari pulled off an upset at the Mutua Madrid Open, defeating No. 6 seed Jasmine Paolini with a score of 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the Round of 16.
Paolini was one of two Top 10 seeds to be eliminated by unseeded players on Sunday. The other was World No. 3 Jessica Pegula, who was defeated 6-3, 6-2 by Moyuka Uchijima. This marked Uchijima`s inaugural victory against a Top 10 opponent, having previously lost all six such matches, and also her first against a player ranked in the Top 25, breaking a nine-match losing streak.
Sakkari also snapped her own eight-match losing streak against Top 10 opponents, dating back to last year`s BNP Paribas Open. Her career record against Top 10 players on clay is now level at 6-6.
“I was clear on what I had to do on the court,” Sakkari said afterward. “Just went out and executed it perfectly. I didn’t give her any room to breathe. That was my goal — that is the goal against the very good players.”
“I think it was pretty good, I have to say.”
Considered her best win of the season by ranking, this victory comes during what has been a challenging year for the former Top 10 player. It`s her first time reaching the Round of 16 at a WTA 1000 tournament since the Internazionali BNL d`Italia in Rome last year.
“It feels pretty good because it’s been a while since I had, let’s call it a statement win for myself,” Sakkari stated. “It wasn’t easy all this time. But at the same time, I knew that I had to trust, as we say, the process. Trusting that it’s going to come. It’s a good step forward and I want to stay humble with my expectations.
“I feel like the pieces are coming together. Still a long way to go, though.”
Sakkari has reunited with coach Tom Hill, who previously worked with Peyton Stearns for almost a year.
“We’re two people with the same ambitions, the same goal,” Sakkari remarked about the collaboration. “We believe in each other. It just feels very comfortable, and he knows my game like no one else. He didn’t drastically change my game; he just put the pieces back together, and it’s working quite well so far.”
With this win, Sakkari has secured her third consecutive match victory and is scheduled to face No. 17 seed Elina Svitolina in the Round of 16. Their head-to-head record currently stands at 2-2, with this being their first meeting on clay.
Paolini was aiming to reach the fourth round in her fifth consecutive WTA 1000 tournament appearance in 2025.
Sakkari recorded six aces and dropped her serve just once. In comparison, she broke Paolini`s serve six times during the match.
Pegula entered the match with a strong clay record this season, having won seven of eight matches, including the recent title in Charleston. She was looking to secure her 28th win of the season, which would have been the highest on the WTA Tour. However, her first encounter with Uchijima did not proceed as anticipated.
Uchijima successfully broke Pegula`s serve five times while saving five of the seven break points she faced. Her next opponent on Tuesday will be the winner of the late match between No. 14 Daria Kasatkina and No. 21 Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Rupert Caldwell