Maria Sakkari battles back to beat Petra Kvitova and reach second straight Indian Wells semifinal

Maria Sakkari was in deep, deep trouble against Petra Kvitova on Wednesday night but never stopped fighting and finally prevailed, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, to reach her second straight Indian Wells semifinal.

The Greek, a runner-up to Iga Swiatek in the desert a year ago, was asked about Kvitova in her on-court interview.

“From my side, you know, she’s one of the players that I respect the most,” she said. “She has won so many titles, but above all she’s an amazing girl, she’s a very good person. She’s not only an amazing tennis player, but her personality and all the things she went through in her career, there’s a lot of respect from my side. And I’m sure that everyone in the locker room respects her as much as I do.”

After just under an hour on court Kvitova found herself up a set and a break at 6-4, 2-0 with break point for a double break—Sakkari saved it and held. After holding in the next game, Kvitova then brought up double break point with Sakkari serving at 1-3, 15-40—the Greek held.

The next game is where the match completely turned around, as Kvitova was serving at 6-4, 3-2, 40-0 but got broken and was never in the lead again, as Sakkari snuck out another break in the very last game of the second set to send the match to a third, grabbed an early break for 3-1 in the decider and didn't lose another game.

“Not only was I down a set and a break, but she made me play like an amateur in the first set, she was playing so good,” Sakkari said. “I tried to focus on different things. I had to look at the other side of the net and see what I could do better to put her in an uncomfortable position.

“I think it worked. I just tried to play physical. And all I can say is I think I need a pedicure because my feet are bleeding so badly!”

With her victory over Kvitova, Sakkari has now won her last 11 hard-court quarterfinals in a row—her last loss in the last eight of a hard-court event came to Garbine Muguruza at Doha in 2021.

The Greek is now 19-3 in her career in hard-court quarterfinals.

SAKKARI’S LAST 11 HARD-COURT QUARTERFINALS (tour-level)
d. Osaka in 2021 Miami QFs, 6-0, 6-4
d. Pliskova in 2021 US Open QFs, 6-4, 6-4
d. Swiatek in 2021 Ostrava QFs, 6-4, 7-5
d. Halep in 2021 Moscow QFs, 6-4, 6-4
d. Mertens in 2022 St. Petersburg QFs, 7-6 (7), 6-2
d. Gauff in 2022 Doha QFs, 6-3, 6-3
d. Rybakina in 2022 Indian Wells QFs, 7-5, 6-4
d. Kudermetova in 2022 Guadajalara QFs, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4
d. Vekic in 2023 Linz QFs, 6-3, 7-6 (8)
d. Garcia in 2023 Doha QFs, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5)
d. Kvitova in 2023 Indian Wells QFs, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1