Maria Sakkari of Greece plays a forehand in her singles match against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus during Day 6 of 2021 Akron WTA Finals Guadalajara at Centro Panamericano de Tenis on November 15, 2021 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Maria Sakkari reached the semifinals of the WTA finals after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in a three-set gruelling battle 7-6 (7-1), 6-7 (6-8), 6-3 in Guadalajara on Monday night. She finished behind Paula Badosa in Group Chichén Itzá despite the latter losing 5-7, 4-6 to Iga Swiatek in her final group match earlier.
Sakkari will face Anett Kontaveit in the semifinals while Badosa will face her Spanish compatriot Garbine Muguruza. The semifinals are on Tuesday and the final is set for Wednesday at Centro Panamericano de Tenis in Zapopan, a suburb of Guadalajara.
Swiatek couldn't advance from her group after losing her first two singles but got to finish her two-title season with a smile. The Pole also ended Badosa's eight-match winning streak on Monday.
Swiatek, the youngest player at 20 in the eight-women field, came from a break down in each set.
Swiatek lost her only previous meeting with Badosa in the second round of the Tokyo Olympics. Badosa won the first titles of her career this year in Belgrade and Indian Wells, and is among six players to have made their top-10 debut this season.
(With inputs from AP)
