Despite having the opportunity to make history with her first-ever appearance in the Wimbledon Round of 16, Maria Sakkari was outplayed by Jasmine Paolini, losing in straight sets, 2-0, and was eliminated from the tournament.

Match Highlights

Jasmine Paolini dominated the first set against Maria Sakkari, capitalizing on the Greek player’s numerous unforced errors and taking an early lead. After a tough game at 40-40, Paolini made it 3-0 with a forehand, and Sakkaris then committed another error on her backhand, allowing the Italian to widen the gap even further. Despite Sakkari’s attempt to fight back—she managed to close the gap and win her first game with a winner— Paolini continued to apply pressure and reached 5-0, capitalizing on her opponent’s errors on forehand shots. Ultimately, the Italian closed out the first set comfortably, 6-1, following a string of errors by Sakkari, taking a clear lead in the match.

In the second set, the two players battled through a series of tied games, but Paolini once again capitalized on Sakkari’s errors to take the lead, and with three more errors from Sakkari, she maintained her perfect record at 3-0. The Italian continued to control the match and build a lead in games, but in the fifth game, Sakkari hit her first ace and, applying pressure, tied the score, hitting a winner down the line and capitalizing on a return error by Paolini to cut the deficit to 4-1 in games, while Paolini, with a winner and a love game, found herself one game away from victory at 5-1. Sakkari narrowed the gap to 5-2 with an excellent shot and an error by Paolini at the net, but in the end, Jasmine Paolini clinched the victory with a love game, winning 6-2 in sets.

Sets: 6-1, 6-2

*photo source: AP