The situation was changing like a kaleidoscope. A marathon full of emotions chose the last semi-final

The final match of the 2021 WTA Finals group stage in one match turned out to be a marathon full of emotions. Maria Sakkari, who is Greek, won the semi-finals of the event in Guadalajara, and Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus was eliminated.

PAP / EPA / Francisco Guasco / Pictured: Maria Saccari

A few minutes later at 2:30 Polish time, the match began, which chose the last semi-final of the WTA tournament in Guadalajara. At the end of the group stage, there was a confrontation between Arina Sabalenka and Maria Scarry. The Belarusian woman was the winner in four of their previous five meetings. Their encounter in Mexico was very emotional and kept you in suspense until the end. The Greeks won 7:6 (1), 6:7 (6), 6:3.

The beginning was nervous in the performance of both tennis players. They returned the pass and made two double faults. Later, Sabalenka was playing better and better and hit the field with many great balls. Scary had some trouble controlling her shots and made more mistakes. In the sixth inning she was under pressure, but with an effective forehand that fended off the break point. The Belarusian woman worked well on her feet and focused not only on quick solutions, but also was able to show perseverance in exchanges and deadly counterattacks. Sabalenka also boldly went into the net and finished off some moves with beautiful aerial shots.

Al-Sakkari did not intend to concede the field to the opponent and went on strike. A fatal battle ensued on every point. The Belarusian was closer to the set, scoring a 5:3 break after her opponent’s backhand error. However, when it comes to serving, it is far from stable, which can be seen throughout the tournament. In the ninth match, she made a double foul. Sabalenka notified the network even after returning, which caused additional panic in the Greek woman’s actions. In the tenth match, the Belarusian won the set ball, but missed the forehand.

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Scary had to defend break points in almost every game. Sabalenka has a visual advantage on the field. She played the best match of the tournament, showing strength, intelligence and toughness. If it wasn’t for the serve, she might have won the first set a long time ago. Meanwhile, with the fatal tie-breaker, all of her efforts were destroyed. In it, I made two double mistakes. Scary was tough and sent three aces to change. The set ended when Sabalenka hit a forehand into the net.

For a change, in the second round, both tennis players showed long-term stability of the service. There were no break points for long, but when it did, there was a breakthrough. It was scored by Sabalenka, who delivered some great results in 3:3 and showed a shot. The Belarusian was in attack and in the ninth match she had two set pieces. At key moments, she again lacked composure and made two mistakes. Sabalenko again felt terrible uncertainty. At some key points, she lacked accounts, and her actions were doomed to chaos. A series of fouls, including two backhand fouls, cost her a pass in the 10th inning. But the missed opportunities did not discourage her and the fighting spirit did not leave her.

The ending was very tense, because Scary also felt unsettled. A double fault and two broken labors left the Greek woman broken again. Sabalenka never sealed the group. A forehand miss, when fully open, made her lose her serve again and the tie was broken again. In it, the Belarusian woman showed greater consistency. Scary defended the first set with a powerful shot. Sabalenka played the last two points in concert. The last forehand and the combination serve and backhand gave her the group.

Sabalenko’s play was still undulating and low. With Scary this fall was less, in the case of greater pressure she was able to play better, although she did not show this at the start of the third match. The Belarusian woman returned the order with a double error. After a while, the Greek woman made the mistake of choosing and an unsuccessful shortcut meant she crashed from the 40-15 state. Sabalenka fell seriously on the field, but her ankle was not hurt, although the situation looked serious. In the third match, she broke her breaking point with a winning serve. Both were stuck in the abyss of powerlessness, but the Greek was more patient in finding a way out of it.

And in the fourth half, Scary gave the pass with a double foul. Sabalenka from 15-40 managed to balance, but did not raise to 4: 1, because she gave the opponent a third break point and put the fore ball into the net with him. The Greek calmed down the match and equalized 3: 3 without losing a point. A Belarusian player who was disarmed in the seventh game made three double faults and a 40-15 pass. Sabalenka did not recover and this marathon full of emotions was about to end. Another double fault of the tennis player from Minsk gave the opponent three matches in the ninth game. During the first, after the Belarusian forehand, the ball touched the bar and went out of court.

In the match that lasted two hours and 47 minutes, Sabalenka made 19 double faults and Skari made eight. The Greek woman served eight aces, more than her competitor. She sent 27 finalists for 36 non-forced fouls. The Belarusian girl was tallied with 29 straight wins and 56 fouls. There were 14 escapes in the match, eight for Scary.

It was the face of the tennis players who scored the semi-finals of the Grand Slam this year. Scary achieved them at Roland Garros and the US Open, and Sabalenka won them at Wimbledon and New York. The Greek is still in the game for her first title of the season. The Belarusian women won tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Madrid. On the way to victory in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, she deals with Scary.

In the semi-finals on Tuesday, Scary will face Estonian Annette Kontaveit (from 2:30 AM Poland time). Earlier (21:00) there will be a clash between the Spaniards Paula Padusa and Garbine Muguruza.

WTA Finals, Guadalajara (Mexico)
Tournament Rounds, Hard Courts, $5 Million Prize Pool
Monday 15 November

one match:

Chichen Itza group

Maria Sakkari (Greece, 4) beat Arina Sabalenka (Belarus, 1) 7-6 (1) 6-7 (6) 6-3

WTA 2021 Finals results and schedules

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