Vekic beats sixth-seed Sakkari to reach German Open final

Croatia’s Donna Vekic had to play twice on Saturday - against Elina Avanesyan and Maria Sakkari - before she secured a spot in the final.

Published : Jun 24, 2023 21:43 IST , BERLIN - 1 MIN READ

Croatia’s Donna Vekic in action during her semifinal match against Greece’s Maria Sakkari.
Croatia’s Donna Vekic in action during her semifinal match against Greece’s Maria Sakkari. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
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Croatia’s Donna Vekic in action during her semifinal match against Greece’s Maria Sakkari. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Croatia’s Donna Vekic had to play twice on Saturday but did not drop a set as she cruised into the German Open final with a 6-4 7-6(8) victory over world number eight Maria Sakkari of Greece.

The 26-year-old had first beaten lucky loser Elina Avanesyan in straight sets in their quarterfinal on Saturday morning after play was cancelled due to heavy rain on Friday.

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Armed with her thundering forehand, the World No. 23 bagged the first set courtesy of an early break and then reeled in the sixth seed after Sakkari took a quick 2-0 lead in the second to force a tiebreak.

Vekic made it two wins from her Saturday matches on her fourth match point with another forehand winner flying past her opponent, who also had to play twice in a day, having earlier beaten Marketa Vondrousova in her last-eight match.

Sakkari has now lost all five of her semifinals this season. Vekic will face either Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova or Czech Petra Kvitova in Sunday’s final. 

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