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Greek tennis star Maria Sakkari said Melbourne feels like home after winning her Australian Open second round match. Sakkari, ranked at No. 8 in the world, saw off Qinven Zheng 6-1 6-4 to reach the Australian Open third round.
Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas always enjoy a strong support at the Australian Open as Melbourne has a very large Greek communitty. "It's actually my home tournament. I know it sounds weird saying that, but I don't have a tournament back home.
It feels like I'm at home back here. We all know that Melbourne has a very large Greek community and I'm very pleased and grateful to have them behind me," Sakkari said, per Tennis Up To Date.
Sakkari cruised into the Australian Open third round
Qinven's serve was pressued in the opening game but she saved two break points to take a 1-0 lead.
That was all from Qinven in the first set as Sakkari claimed three breaks in a row and won six consecutive games to win the opener in style. After winning the first set, Sakkari started the second set with a 3-0 lead. Sakkari failed to serve out for the match in the eighth game but broke Qinven in the ninth game to seal a straight-set win.
"It felt much better than last match. I feel like as long as I give myself a lot of chances in this tournament I can start playing better and better every match," Sakkari added. Sakkari struggled in her Melbourne opener but managed to beat Tatjana Maria 6-4 7-6 (2).
"I didn't feel great out there, but I found a solution, found a way to win," Sakkari said after the Maria win. "She has a tricky game that sometimes it makes you feel uncomfortable inside the court. Yeah, it was a decent match. I kind of, like, survived." Sakkari plays next against Veronika Kudermetova.