Maria Sakkari is a lot like her fellow Greek, Stefanos Tsitsipas, in that both were trending toward stellar careers, but then saw a huge dip in success. Both are now trying to find their way back to form, but that has come inconsistently. What would help Sakkari would be defeating Iga Swiatek in the third round of the Cincinnati Open.
Swiatek has had an odd year herself, though. The former WTA No. 1 changed her game a bit in 2025 to perform better on grass courts and hard courts instead of her favored clay. That worked well, too, as the Pole won Wimbledon and the 2025 Cincinnati Open. Then, she didn't win another tournament until this year's WTA 1000 in Canada.
At her best, she is arguably the best player on tour, so a victory by Sakkari would have been a boon to her confidence.
Iga Swiatek ruins Maria Sakkari's day at the Cincinnati Open
The Greek player started the match well, too. She consistently gave Swiatek issues trying to hold serve in the opening set, getting two breaks and winning the set 6-4. She even won a couple of points after hitting the top of the net, so fate appeared to be temporarily on her side.
Swiatek also helped Sakkari by hitting seven winners but 17 unforced errors. Sakkari helped herself by hitting five aces to Swiatek's one.
But Swiatek is well known for never giving up in matches she trails. That is what great players do. They can raise their level to a degree most of their opponents can't match. At the beginning of the second set, Swiatek held and then broke Sakkari easily, so tennis fans could likely assume a third set would be needed.
Sakkari fell apart in the second set. She had no winners but 11 unforced errors. She stopped playing as well, but much of that was due to Swiatek's ability to reset herself. She rushed through her opponent with ease in set two, taking it 6-1.
Things didn't tick up for Maria Sakkari in the third set either. She was broken in the first game, and then Swiatek held. The Greek player was beginning to make far too many unforced errors. She had no control of the match or her game. A hopeful start to the match had turned into a nightmare of an ending.
After taking the first set 6-4, she would only win two more games the rest of the match and drop the final set 1-6. Swiatek's ability to refocus between the first and second sets was elite.
Iga Swiatek will next face the winner of the match between Diane Parry and Loius Boisson in the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open. The Pole will be the heavy favorite to move into the quarterfinals.
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