Maria Sakkari fell short in the final of the Hellenic Championship on home soil in Athens. The Greek player lost to Barbora Krejcikova 7-6, 6-3 after reaching the title match without dropping a set.
Sakkari delivered an emotional post-match speech to the home crowd. She thanked her family and grandfather for supporting her career. "I never thought that I would be standing here today, playing in front of this crowd," she said. "You made me a player. You and, of course, my family, my grandfather, and everyone."
The 30-year-old reached her 11th WTA final and first since the 2024 Indian Wells Masters. Her run came 40 years after her mother Angeliki Kanellopoulou reached the final of the same event in 1986. Sakkari is expected to rise to No. 33 in the rankings.
Krejcikova claimed her ninth WTA singles title and first since the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. The Czech player overcame an early deficit in both sets to secure victory in one hour and 43 minutes.
