Watch: Maria Sakkari fights back tears after beating Paula Badosa to reach Indian Wells final
Maria Sakkari outlasted defending champion Paula Badosa 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 on Saturday to advance to her maiden WTA 1000 final at Indian Wells. Having previously lost all five of her semi-final appearances at the WTA 1000 level, the Greekwoman finally broke the jinx and will bid to lift the biggest title of her career on Sunday.
Sakkari, who won her only WTA trophy back in 2019 in Morocco, was overwhelmed after converting match point against Badosa. The 26-year-old fought back tears in her on-court interview, where she emphasized how she had worked "all her life" to achieve such a feat.
"I work my entire life to get to this, to the late stages of the tournaments," Sakkari said. "It means a lot to me. Maybe it looks a bit silly to someone, it's not like I won the tournament. But I'm in the final and it means so much to me."
"I work my entire life to get to this, to the late stages of the tournaments. It means a lot to me." 🥰
@mariasakkari | #IndianWells https://t.co/J8D9yrW1J9
In her post-match presser, the Greek opened up about how nervous she was before the match and the relief she felt at the end of it. She explained that emotions got the better of her after the match since she knew in her mind just how many times she had fallen at the penultimate hurdle.
"It was more relief, because I was nervous before the match," the 26-year-old said. "I just wanted to overcome this challenge of making it to my first ever WTA 1000 final. So it just got to the point: I'm an emotional person and I just couldn't hold myself."
Maria Sakkari has steadily climbed up the rankings over the past year. Having started 2021 ranked outside the world's top 20, she has a chance to become the new World No. 2 on Sunday.
Sakkari said she couldn't believe she was within touching distance of such an accomplishment.
"I still can't believe it," Sakkari remarked. "Eight months ago it was something that was impossible to get to, but now it's just a win away. But I'm not going to think about it because it has already been a very good tournament. So I'm just going to embrace the fact that I have a chance, which I think is very important for me, for my team, for my family, and of course for my country."
"I just have full faith and a lot of confidence on my game" - Maria Sakkari ahead of Indian Wells final against Iga Swiatek
Maria Sakkari will square off against familiar foe Iga Swiatek in the championship match at Indian Wells. The Greek leads the head-to-head 3-1, but the 20-year-old Pole won their most recent encounter in straight sets in Doha last month.
Sakkari heaped praise on the level of consistency showcased by Swiatek since the beginning of the season, but at the same time, stressed that she had plenty of confidence in her own game.
"We know that she has been playing very, very good the last, since the beginning of the year, Sakkari said. "She's one of the most consistent players this season and she has a lot of confidence. But on the other hand, I just have full faith and a lot of confidence on my game and on myself right now. I think we will both try and play very aggressive because this is how tennis is right now."