Maria Sakkari made short work of her opening match at the China Open in Beijing, defeating Australia’s Storm Hunter 6-2, 6-2 and securing her spot in the third round and the round of 32, with her next opponent to be determined by the match between Elina Svitolina (No. 3 in the draw) and the Czech player, Katerina Siniakova.
Facing 32-year-old left-hander Storm Hunter, who excels primarily in doubles, Sakkari was nearly flawless on break points (6/8); after taking a 3-2 lead, she won the next eight games to reach 6-2, 5-0. She didn’t “seal” her advancement with a bagel, but that matters little.
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Sakkari capitalized on her first opportunity to break in the opening game (1-0) and, holding her serve, went up 2-0. In fact, she built on her strong start and, with a love game, secured another break to make it 3-0 in 15 minutes.
Hunter fought back; after a double fault by Sakkari, she secured her first break (3-1) and easily closed the gap to 3-2.
However, the Greek player comfortably made it 4-2; with her third break of the set, she pulled ahead 5-2 and, serving, closed out the set 6-2 in 36 minutes.
Sakkari started the second set, just as she had the first, with Hunter committing a double fault and two unforced errors, causing her to lose her serve for the third time, while Sakkari held her serve and, with another break, pulled ahead 3-0, winning six consecutive games.
Hunter squandered two break points and, with them, her last hope in the match (4-0), as Sakkari reached 5-0 and, with it, the opportunity to “seal” her advancement with a bagel.
The final victory took a few extra minutes, as Hunter, with a break and a love game, narrowed the gap to 5-2 and led 0-30 in the eighth game, but before things could get out of hand, Sakkari scored four consecutive points to clinch the second set 6-2 and advance in 73 minutes.
*photo source: AP
