Sakkari Seals United Cup Victory For Greece Against Bulgaria

Team Greece have sealed the first victory of Group A at the United Cup in Perth after Maria Sakkari defeated Viktoriya Tomova 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 27 minutes, giving her team an unassailable 3-0 lead over Team Bulgaria.

WTA No.6 Sakkari had lost to Tomova in their first meeting, over six years ago in the 2016 Szeged ITF W50 final. But she had gained revenge in the second round of Wimbledon 2022, and once again showed how far she has come in establishing herself as a solid Top 10 player.

The first half of the opening set was tightly contested, with Tomova’s defensive skills and changes of pace drawing Sakkari into a number of extended exchanges. Indeed, it was the WTA No.90 who captured the first break, going up 2-1 as Sakkari leaked a double fault and errors on the forehand and at net.

But Sakkari responded with an immediate break back thanks to aggressive returning, and the pair remained neck-and-neck until the seventh game. After Sakkari had held for 4-3, Tomova required a medical timeout and returned with her lower left leg strapped.

On resumption, the Bulgarian’s attempts to shorten the points were a contrast to her earlier successful tactics and did not pay off. Sakkari broke for 5-3 by quickly tracking down a Tomova dropshot, and then converted her first set point with a forehand winner.

It was the second time in as many days that Team Bulgaria had been afflicted by injury. Like compatriot Isabella Shinikova on Day 1, Tomova continued to compete valiantly — but through the second set, she was unable to disrupt Sakkari’s fine rhythm on serve. The Greek player only conceded three points behind her delivery in the second set and broke the Tomova serve twice as she sped to victory.