Sakkari recalls Wuhan breakthrough after Kostyuk upset

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Maria Sakkari’s return to the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open has brought her career full circle, with the Greek recovering from a set down to defeat eighth seed Marta Kostyuk 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday and reach the third round. 

The victory has revived memories of her breakthrough run at the tournament in 2017, when a string of high-profile wins helped her break into the world’s top 50 for the first time.

For Sakkari, Wuhan holds a significance that extends beyond the results she has achieved on its courts. Her run nine years ago came when she was a qualifier ranked World No. 80, making her victories over Caroline Wozniacki, Elena Vesnina and Alize Cornet a defining moment in her rise on the WTA Tour.

Reflecting on that period at this year’s tournament, the 30-year-old acknowledged how much her perspective has changed since those early breakthroughs, even as she continues to compete at a high level.

“That’s when I cracked the top 50 for the first time. It is a special place in my heart because I had my first big wins against Wozniacki, Vesnina, Cornet back in the day. Some great names that I managed (beat) to back-to-back.

“It feels like it was a century ago. Sometimes I look in pictures – nowadays, I feel very young, but back then I was even younger, so I just feel like now I have obviously a lot more experience, more maturity. Back then, I was just a little bit fearless, and I didn’t really think about too much. The more you grow up, the more you think about other things. It’s been almost 10 years since that run, and I’m still producing some very good tennis,” Sakkari was quoted by WTA.

Her latest campaign has given her another opportunity to make an impression at a venue where she has not contested a singles match since 2018. Although she returned to Wuhan for doubles last year, Tuesday’s win over Kostyuk marked her first singles appearance at the tournament in eight years.

Sakkari had begun her 2026 campaign in Wuhan with a straight-sets victory over Donna Vekic before producing a resilient response against Kostyuk. After losing the opening set 4-6, she took control of the contest, winning the next two sets 6-2, 6-2 to become the first player to secure a place in the third round.

The comeback also offered a response to the frustrations she carried from the previous week in Beijing, where she felt she had failed to capitalise on important opportunities against Elina Svitolina. Against Kostyuk, she focused on making a more assertive impression in the decisive exchanges.

“(Marta’s) been playing some amazing tennis this year so I knew coming in I had to produce some very good level,” Sakkari said. “Last week against (Elina) Svitolina, I think that I was playing good. I was just not brave enough to take those break points.

“All I’m thinking is I have the chance to try and do something different than last week. The base of my game is there. It’s just that (I need to) try to be a little bit more brave in the big moments.”

The result leaves Sakkari one win away from the quarterfinals, where she would face the prospect of reaching her first WTA Tour 1000 last-eight appearance since Doha in February. It would also mark her first quarterfinal at any tournament since Athens this summer.

Her immediate challenge is wild card Mia Pohankova, whom she will meet on Thursday for a place in the quarterfinals. A further run in Wuhan would provide a timely boost as the season approaches its conclusion.

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