Guadalajara: Sakkari reaches final, will play Dolehide for the title

Maria Sakkari is back in the Guadalajara final. The second seed, moved into the final of the Guadalajara Open Akron by beating Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, the No 3 seed, 6-3, 6-0 on Saturday night.

The Greek will bid for her second career title on Saturday when she faces Caroline Dolehide in the final.

Sakkari reaches her third career WTA 1000 final – she fell in the Guadalajara final last year to American Jessica Pegula. She is 8-1 lifetime at Guadalajara.

“I said it the first day,” Sakkari said. “I felt that this is the week, this is the place I was gonna overcome a lot of difficult obstacles and emotions. I don’t want to go back to the US Open because that’s past – I’m so happy to be back in the final and to get to stay until the end of the tournament – I don’t think I could have asked for anything better.”

Sakkari notches her second consecutive win over Garcia after dropping their first three tilts. Earlier this year in Doha the Greek needed two hours and 41 minutes to defeat Garcia in the quarter-finals, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-6(5).

She needed just 71 minutes to dispatch Garcia on Friday, as she claimed the final seven games.

“The last one that we played was one of the toughest matches that I played in my career,” she said. “My goal today was to smile, to enjoy and to come out here and have fun, because those are the emotions that I haven’t felt in a while.”

The Greek won against Australian Storm Hunter (6-2, 6-4), Italian Camila Giorgi (6-2, 6-2) and Colombian Emiliana Arango (6-3, 6-4) ahead of her victory.

In the previous rounds, Garcia, ranked No 11, won against Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich (4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4), American Hailey Baptiste (7-5, 6-4) and Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, the No 10 seed (6-3, 6-4).

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