World No. 6 Maria Sakkari delivered an impressive performance in Berlin semifinal as she lost a total of three games en route to beating Daria Kasatkina.
Second-seeded Sakkari, who is having her debut appearance in Berlin, saw off sixth-seeded Kasatkina 6-0 6-3 to progress into the semifinal.
“The first set was close to perfect. I was very disciplined with my shot selection, with my game in general. I always struggled to play against her, obviously, but today I was very decisive. I had made up my mind what to do and I just went for it,” Sakkari said, per the WTA website. “Grass court fits my game — of course, because I improved my serve, but I’m a very good mover and that plays a huge role on this surface.”
Sakkari dominated Kasatkina
Sakkari got off to a stunning start to the match, breaking Kasatkina three times to easily win the first set.
Sakkari faced two break points in the fourth game but saved them and eventually bageled Kasatkina.
After winning the first set, Sakkari broke Kasatkina in the opening game of the second set.
Kasatkina broke back Sakkari in the second game to end the Greek’s run of seven consecutive games but the Russian continued to struggle on her serve as Sakkari broke again in the third game.
However, Kasatkina refused to quit, breaking back Sakkari in the sixth game to level the second set to three games apiece.
Just when it seemed Kasatkina might do something, Sakkari claimed back-to-back breaks in the seventh and ninth games to complete a straight-set win.
Sakkari will now be playing Belinda Bencic in the Berlin semifinal.
Sakkari has never lost to Bencic but the two haven’t clashed since 2020.
At the Hopman Cup in 2019, Sakkari handed Bencic a straight-set loss.
The following year, Sakkari beat Bencic in St. Petersburg.
Sakkari, 26, has never won a grass court title.
Sakkari is having a great week in Berlin and she is certainly determined to win her first grass title this week.