Simona Halep (30 years old, 19 WTA) was defeated by Maria Sakkari (26 years old, 7 WTA), score 4-6, 4-6 , in the Kremlin Cup quarters.
The press in Greece praised the performance of the two players after the first direct duel.
Greek journalists did not overlook how Halep fought : “The former world number 1 was unable to stop Maria Sakkari on the way to the Kremlin Cup trophy. Sakkari will now face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the semi-finals. For Sakkari’s first career match was against Simona Halep, a renowned athlete who has titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Sakkari suffered a lot but found the right shots in the decisive moments. The experienced Halep was close to coming back in the second set, when she took the score from 5-1 to 5-4, but Sakkari prevailed in the end” , Amna journalists note .
Superb reaction from the media in Greece after Simona Halep left the Kremlin Cup
The Jennys World website wrote: “Maria Sakkari defeated Simona Halep in straight sets in the first straight match between the two players. Sakkari had an impressive performance and will play further in the semi-finals.
Sakkari won the crucial points but Halep refused to give in too easily. The Romanian came back from 5-1 to 5-4 and hoped that she could turn the tide of the match. In the end, Sakkari won her third match point after putting a lot of pressure on Halep, and the clock stopped after one hour and 44 minutes .
VIDEO Summary of the match Halep – Sakkari
Simona Halep stopped in the quarters at the Kremlin Cup. The Romanian was defeated by Maria Sakkari after a superb match. Halep – Sakkari was 4-6, 4-6, but the Romanian was close to a sensational comeback.
In the second set, Halep was leading 5-1, but saved two match points to take the score to 5-4. However, Sakkari forced at the ideal moment, and Halep could not save the third match point.
Simona Halep was champion in 2013 at the tournament in Moscow.
