Maria Sakkari recovered from a set down to defeat Robin Montgomery 2-1 and reach the US Open second round in New York. The Greek champion found herself facing early elimination before turning the match around at Flushing Meadows.
Montgomery dominated the opening set 6-2 and established a 4-0 lead in the second set. Sakkari responded by winning four consecutive games to level the set before taking it 7-5 and dominating the decider 6-2.
The match began with Montgomery establishing her rhythm early against the Greek champion. The American player took advantage of service difficulties for Sakkari, breaking serve three times in total during the opening set. Sakkari temporarily reduced the deficit to 4-2 by breaking back once, but Montgomery held firm to secure the first set 6-2.
The US Open is the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season, played annually on hard courts at Flushing Meadows in New York City. Sakkari is Greece's highest-ranked female tennis player, while Montgomery is a young American player competing on the WTA Tour.
Second set fightback
The situation grew more difficult for Sakkari at the start of the second set. Montgomery broke the Greek player's serve twice to race into a 4-0 lead, leaving her just two games away from securing victory and qualification.
At that point, the dynamic of the match transformed completely. Sakkari raised her level of performance and won four consecutive games to bring the score to 4-4. Continuing her counterattack, she secured another break of serve to take the set 7-5 and push the contest into a third set.
With momentum fully behind her, Sakkari controlled the final set. She prevented her opponent from regaining command of the match and completed a 6-2 set win to seal her comeback and advance to the next phase.
Next round opponent
Sakkari will face Yulia Starodubtseva of Ukraine in the second round. The winner of that match will progress to the third round, where potential opponents include tournament number two seed Elena Rybakina.
Starodubtseva is a professional player from Ukraine, while Rybakina represents Kazakhstan on the WTA Tour. Women's singles matches at Grand Slam events follow a best-of-three sets format, with players needing two sets to qualify for the next round.
