17:54
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 4:5
But Sakkari persists and fights back. Maria lightly misses a chance on the return and then Sakkari forces her to volley. debut!
17:53
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 4:5
Now that’s almost a bit bizarre. Maria Sakkari gets the 5:4 from Tatjana Maria as a gift and is now well on the way to giving the game back to Maria immediately. Three quick unforced errors mean 0:40.
17:48
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 4:5
And then this! After some great rallies at a high level, the service game ends with two double faults by Tatjana Maria! Shaking her head, the German trudges to the bank. Maria Sakkari leads 5:4 and serves straight away.
17:47
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 4:4
Then Maria Sakkari turns it up! The 27-year-old fends off Maria’s next game ball with a crashing inside-out winner and then scores confidently at the net to get the next break point. And the Greek then actually has to use that when she easily gets a weak stop from the Germans, but then plays her right into the racket and the game continues.
17:44
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 4:4
That went well for the time being! Maria parries thanks to a lucky ace on second serve and a slight error from Sakkari, and then follows up with a service winner to the cue ball. A spectacular rally then goes to the Greek at the end and Maria has to make a debut again.
17:41
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 4:4
It almost seems as if Tatjana Maria doesn’t get along with the fact that Maria Sakkari no longer puts any pressure on here and leaves the initiative to the Germans. Maria produces one easy mistake after another and has the next break points against her.
17:39
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 4:4
Maria Sakkari can then get hold of a cue ball and convert it immediately because Maria’s return sails far out of bounds. The German has lost her rhythm and has to pick it up again as soon as possible if she is not to lose this first sentence completely.
17:37
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 4:3
The game has completely changed! Maria Sakkari now only keeps the ball in play and avoids the risk, but Tatjana Maria now makes a few mistakes. However, the German inspires again with a surprising net attack including a volley winner at 30:30.
17:36
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 4:3
Moment of shock for Tatjana Maria! The German slipped away while trying to dig out an attack ball from Sakkari and lay down on the court. Nothing serious seemed to have happened, however, and Maria gave the all-clear immediately.
17:33
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 4:3
Everything back in order! Sakkari now acts much more confidently from the baseline and in turn forces Maria to make a mistake. For once, the German made a mistake with the forehand slice and thus conceded the 4:3.
17:32
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 4:2
So far, Tatjana Maria’s service games have been clear affairs, but now it’s getting tight for the first time. First the 35-year-old misses a volley, then she is countered by Sakkari at the net and is faced with a 15:30. The Greek reads the Germans’ next serve well, whips the forehand return out of reach to the line and has her first break chances!
17:29
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 4:2
And the second ace follows immediately! Only 4: 2 for Tatjana Maria.
17:28
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 4:1
Sakkari has apparently decided to minimize the risk a little. The 27-year-old no longer plays quite as aggressively and not so close to the lines. This creates longer rallies and the Greek slowly finds her rhythm. The first ace is also obviously good and brings in two cue balls.
17:25
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 4:1
But Maria stays cool and continues to play her boot spotlessly clean. First an ace, then a nice forehand inside-out to 30:15 and Maria Sakkari starts shaking his head again. The Greek also made two more mistakes from the half-field and made it 4-1. So far, Tatjana Maria only has to wait and collect the points.
17:22
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 3:1
Now Maria Sakkari has also arrived on the scoreboard. The third in the world rankings varies significantly more in her second service game and causes problems for Tatjana Maria. Especially on the backhand, the German has no security. At 15, Sakkari brings her game through and shortens to 1:3.
17:18
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 3:0
Now Sakkari is getting into the match better and lands a smashing return winner at 15:30. But Maria counters very strongly with a service winner and her first ace and has the cue ball. When the Greek whips the next return behind the baseline, the 3-0 is sealed after just nine minutes.
17:16
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 2:0
Maria Sakkari, on the other hand, has massive problems in her first service game. The Greek often gets into good positions, but then sometimes makes hair-raising mistakes and is quickly faced with a 0:40. Then the 27-year-old makes a double mistake and gives her German opponent the 2-0.
17:12
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 1:0
Overall, the German delivers a good first service game. Maria Sakkari puts on steam at every opportunity and also earns two nice points, but Tatjana Maria keeps her nerves, unpacks the first two short slice balls on her forehand and goes 1-0 in front.
17:09
Tatyana Maria – Maria Sakkari 0:0
Here we go! Maria starts the match with a good first serve and takes the first point after Sakkari’s return error.
17:04
It’s about to start!
The two protagonists have just entered the grandstand and started warming up. Maria Sakkari had luck on her side when she tossed the coin and decided to play the setback. Tatjana Maria will open this first round duel in New York in a few minutes!
16:57
Finesse versus power
Tatjana Maria and Maria Sakkari are exactly the same height at 1.72 meters, but their playing style could hardly differ. While the Greek can develop tremendous power with her basic strokes and often dominates her opponents, the experienced German is best known for her variability and playfulness. Can the number three in the world annoy you with slice balls and net attacks today?
16:54
Sakkari not in top form either
Maria Sakkari got her big break last year when she reached her first Grand Slam semi-final here in Flushing Meadows. The 27-year-old then played big for a while, reaching three WTA Tour finals but unable to add another to her lone title of 2019. For a few months, however, not much has been going on with the Greek either. All the attention after her rise to number three in the world hasn’t done the Greek any good. “I realized I don’t enjoy being one of the best players in the world,” admitted Sakkari. But now she wants to attack again in time for the last major of the season: “I think you will soon see a different Maria than in the last three months.”
16:47
Injury concerns for Maria
Tatjana Maria hasn’t done much since her brilliant Wimbledon run. The 35-year-old struggled with some injury problems and only won a single match in the following three tournaments. Just last week in Granby, Canada, Maria at least reached a quarter-final again, but had to be treated for a long time in the second round before she moved on and then lost to Diane Parry from France in the tie-break of the third set. The German still sees herself well prepared for the duel with Sakkari. “I’m fit, I’ve prepared well,” said Maria, adding: “Of course I’m trying to give everything.”
16:36
Third Grand Slam duel in a year
The two women already have experience with duels at Grand Slams. Tatjana Maria and Maria Sakkari crossed paths both at the Australian Open and most recently at Wimbledon. In Melbourne, the Greek had prevailed in round one in two sets, on grass the German fought back with a two-set win in round three and then stormed into her first major semi-final.
16:32
Warm welcome
Hello and welcome to the US Open 2022! The fourth and last Grand Slam tournament of the year starts at 5 p.m. and a German is in action right away. Wimbledon semi-finalist Tatjana Maria meets world number three Maria Sakkari from Greece on the Grandstand.