Sakkari rallies past Kostyuk to reach Wuhan third round

Maria Sakkari defeated eighth seed Marta Kostyuk 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 at the Wuhan Open on Tuesday, recovering from the loss of the opening set to reach the third round. The Greek player, ranked No. 35, beat the world No. 10 in their second-round meeting on Dongfeng Voyah Center Court, according to Tennis.com's completed match record.

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The return numbers showed a clear advantage for Sakkari. Tennis.com's statistics recorded five breaks from 10 opportunities, while Kostyuk converted two of her four break points. Sakkari won 12 of the 23 points played on Kostyuk's second serve, giving her a narrow majority in that category as well as more chances to break overall.

Sakkari also won 37 of 54 points behind her first serve, compared with Kostyuk's 35 of 59. She finished without an ace and with five double faults; Kostyuk recorded one of each. Despite that difference in double faults, Sakkari was broken only twice across the match and conceded just four games over the final two sets.

The WTA reported that Sakkari was the first player to secure a third-round place at this year's tournament, having beaten Donna Vekic in straight sets in her opener. Her next opponent is wild card Mia Pohankova on Thursday. A win would give Sakkari her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal appearance since Doha in February and her first tour quarterfinal since Athens this summer.

Speaking to the WTA, Sakkari said she knew Kostyuk's form required a strong performance. She contrasted her approach with the previous week's match against Elina Svitolina, saying she had not been sufficiently bold when break-point opportunities arrived. Her focus in Wuhan was on trusting the foundations of her game and taking a braver approach at important moments.

This is Sakkari's first singles appearance in Wuhan since 2018, although she played doubles there last year. The venue was the scene of her 2017 semifinal run as a qualifier ranked No. 80. She told the WTA that those results helped her enter the top 50 for the first time, making the tournament an important part of her career.