Watch: Maria Sakkari screams in delight and does trademark celebration after qualifying for WTA Finals
Maria Sakkari expressed pure emotion on the court after winning yet another thriller to achieve her main goal this week, that of qualifying for the 2022 WTA Finals. The Greek tennis superstar beat Veronika Kudermetova in a must-win match on Friday to seal the eighth and final spot in the prestigious tournament.
Sakkari let out a huge roar of delight after a forehand return from Kudermetova flew wide to give Sakkari a 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 win in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open. Both Sakkari and Kudermetova were in contention for the WTA Finals, with the winner of their match taking the last spot.
One way ticket to Fort Worth, Texas ✈️
No.4 seed @mariasakkari stays the course and punches her ticket to the @WTAFinals!
#GDLOPENAKRON https://t.co/JcAeMythhv
Sakkari even brought out her famous multiple first-pump celebration, for which she received a lot of uncalled-for criticism from a section of fans after her Round of 16 match before many others came to her defense.
Sakkari joins Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Caroline Garcia, Aryna Sabalenka, and Daria Kasatkina in the singles draw of the WTA Finals, set to begin later this month.
The World No. 6 needed to dig deep and bring out her best in the deciding set of consecutive matches to qualify for another WTA Finals. In Thursday's Round of 16 match at the Guadalajara Open, Sakkari lost the opening set before winning 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 against the in-form Danielle Collins.
The 27-year-old has had a tough year on tour by her standards, making early exits in many tournaments. However, she has reached three finals this season, including the Indian Wells where she lost to Swiatek.
"Without fire, you cannot win" - Maria Sakkari
Maria Sakkari opened up about her monumental effort this week at the Guadalajara Open to make it through to the semifinals and clinch her WTA Finals spot by emerging victorious in a winner-takes-all situation.
She said that one needs "fire" and "heart" to be able to overcome difficulties in such tense matches. The Greek player expressed that it was important for her to go for her shots and be brave on the court on Friday.
"Without fire, you cannot win these matches. Without heart, without courage, without just going for it and being brave, you cannot get these opportunities and you cannot win them. Do things like the one today," Maria Sakkari said in her on-court interview after the win against Kudermetova.
Maria está en fuego 🔥
@mariasakkari | #GDLOPENAKRON https://t.co/rTOe3V9Ytb
Sakkari will now aim to improve on her semifinal appearance at last year's WTA Finals. She beat the likes of Swiatek and Sabalenka in the group stage of the 2021 edition, before losing to Annet Kontaveit in three sets in the semifinals.