Maria Sakkari Hong Kong Open semifinal against Alex Eala, Digi Mart USA News: Alexandra “Alex” Eala is moving closer to another WTA title, but her path to the Hong Kong Open final runs through a familiar name among the sport’s elite, Greece’s Maria Sakkari.
Eala and Sakkari will meet in the semifinals at around 4 p.m. at Centre Court.
The winner will face either Russia’s Alexandra Shubladze or America’s Claire Liu in the championship round.
Sakkari is a veteran who has competed on the WTA Tour since 2015, when she made her debut by reaching the US Open main draw as a qualifier. She became the first player from Greece to win a main draw match at a Grand Slam tournament after reaching the second round of the 2016 Australian Open.
Sakkari won her first WTA title in 2019 at the WTA 250 event in Rabat. Four years later, as the second seed, she captured her first WTA 1000 title at the Guadalajara Open in 2023.
Earlier, Sakkari reached a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the WTA rankings in 2022, after a runner-up finish at the WTA 1000 Indian Wells, where she lost to Iga Swiatek in the final.
Her momentum was disrupted by a shoulder injury in 2024. She retired from her first-round match at that year’s US Open and cut her season short, and she slipped out of the WTA Top 30 as she worked to regain form in the following seasons.
Overall, Sakkari has reached two Grand Slam semifinals, establishing herself as one of the leading contenders in the tournament.
