At the Mutua Madrid Open, Maria Sakkari achieved a notable upset by defeating the No. 6 seed Jasmine Paolini with a dominant score of 6-2, 6-1. This victory propels Sakkari into the Round of 16.
Paolini`s loss was one of two major upsets involving Top 10 seeds on Sunday. Later in the day, No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula was defeated 6-3, 6-2 by Moyuka Uchijima. For the Japanese player, this win marked her first career victory against a Top 10 opponent (after previously going 0-6) and her first against a Top 25 player, ending a nine-match losing streak against players in that ranking bracket.
Sakkari`s win also ended a personal streak of losses against Top 10 players, as she had fallen in her previous eight matches against them, dating back to last year`s BNP Paribas Open. The result brought her clay-court record against elite players to an even 6-6.
“I was clear on what I had to do on the court,” Sakkari said afterward. “Just went out and executed it perfectly. I didn’t give her any room to breathe. That was my goal — that is the goal against the very good players.”
She added, “I think it was pretty good, I have to say.”
For Sakkari, a former Top 10 player who has faced challenges this season, this win against the World No. 6 ranks as her most significant victory of the year based on opponent ranking. It`s also her first time reaching the Round of 16 at a WTA 1000 tournament since the Internazionali BNL d`Italia in Rome last year.
“It feels pretty good because it’s been a while since I had, let’s call it a statement win for myself,” Sakkari commented. “It wasn’t easy all this time. But at the same time, I knew that I had to trust, as we say, the process. Trusting that it’s going to come. It’s a good step forward and I want to stay humble with my expectations.”
She continued, “I feel like the pieces are coming together. Still a long way to go, though.”
Sakkari has recently resumed working with coach Tom Hill, who had spent nearly a year coaching Peyton Stearns.
Sakkari spoke about their renewed partnership: “We’re two people with the same ambitions, the same goal. We believe in each other. Just feels very comfortable and he knows my game like no one else. He just came in without drastically changing my game just put the pieces back together and it’s working quite well so far.”
With three consecutive match victories, Sakkari is set to face No. 17 seed Elina Svitolina in the Round of 16. Their head-to-head record is tied at 2-2, and this upcoming match will be their first encounter on a clay surface.
For Paolini, the loss meant she missed the opportunity to reach the fourth round for the fifth consecutive WTA 1000 event in 2025.
In her match, Sakkari served effectively, hitting six aces and facing only one break point. She, conversely, broke Paolini’s serve six times.
Jessica Pegula entered her match against Uchijima with a strong clay-court record this season, having won seven out of eight matches, including a recent title in Charleston. A win would have given her the most victories on the WTA Tour for the season (28th). However, her first-ever meeting with Uchijima did not proceed as she would have hoped.
Uchijima was successful in breaking Pegula`s serve five times during the match, while saving five of the seven break points she faced on her own serve. Uchijima`s opponent in the next round on Tuesday will be the winner of the match between No. 14 Daria Kasatkina and No. 21 Ekaterina Alexandrova.
