US Open 2021 - Maria Sakkari to play Emma Raducanu in semi-finals after overpowering Karolina Pliskova
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ByEurosport
Updated 09/09/2021 at 08:10 GMT
Maria Sakkari has reached her second Grand Slam semi-final in 2021 after battling her way past Karolina Pliskova in straight sets on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday night. Sakkari has knocked out Marta Kostyuk, Katerina Siniakova, Petra Kvitova, Bianca Andreescu and now Pliskova en route to her second ever Grand Slam semi.
'I have a hard time finding a weakness in her game' - Wilander on Raducanu run
Maria Sakkari will face British qualifier Emma Raducanu in the semi-finals of the US Open after producing a surprise 6-4, 6-4 win over Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday.
The number 17 seed forced Pliskova into a handful of errors in the opening set, earning herself an early break before wrapping it up in 36 minutes.
Sakkari played with even greater aggression in the second set and accumulated 22 points in a row on her serve as she continued to overpower the world number four.
The big-serving Greek converted her break point opportunity in the seventh game before going on to finish the contest in one hour and 23 minutes.
Sakkari was visibly emotional after the match and dedicated the win to the people of Greece where over 500 wildfires has forced thousands to evacuate their homes.
The 2021 French Open semi-finalist is looking forward to taking on Raducanu, who she admits she knows little about.
"She's a new player on tour so I don't know much about her," Sakkari said in her on-court interview after the match.
"Obviously she's having the tournament of her life. She deserves to be here. She has won all these matches.
But I wouldn't call myself the favourite. I think we all have equal chances of winning the semi-finals and then winning the title. I would give 25 per cent to each starting tomorrow, then 50 to the two finalists.
"We are all here for a reason. We're all playing well. It was not like we had five walkovers. I'm excited to play a second semi-final this year."
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