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Iga Swiatek paid tribute to Misaki Doi as the four-time Grand Slam champion is wishing the Japanese all the best in her post-tennis life. Doi, 32, played the final match of her career this Thursday in Tokyo. In the Tokyo round-of-16, Doi's final tournament ended after Maria Sakkari handed the Japanese a 6-3 6-1 loss. "Congratulations @MisakiDoiTennis on your career.
I wish you all the best in your next chapter;" Swiatek wrote on X.
Congratulations @MisakiDoiTennis on your career. I wish you all the best in your next chapter.🤗 https://t.co/8erGpgTHna — Iga Świątek (@iga_swiatek) September 28, 2023
Swiatek, Sakkari pay tribute to Doi
After beating Doi in Tokyo, Sakkari wanted all the attention to be on the Japanese player.
During her career, Doi won one WTA title and achieved a career-high ranking of No 30 in the world. On the Grand Slam, Doi's best result came at 2016 Wimbledon, when she made the round-of-16. "I don't want to talk about me today.
It was an honor to play against Misaki in her last ever professional match. You deserve to enjoy life, enjoy yourself, have some fun. We know how tough the tennis life is. So take some time, and I'm sure you'll find a way to find something special again in your life.
You had an amazing career, so congrats," Sakkari said after beating Doi. Sakkari made a positive start to the match, breaking Doi in the third game for an early 2-1 lead. In the ninth game - when Doi was serving to stay in the first set - Sakkari broke the Japanese again to seal the first set.
After winning the first set, Sakkari also started the second set with an early break and a 3-0 lead. In the sixth game, Sakkari broke Doi again for a 5-1 lead before serving out for the match in the following game. Sakkari and Doi were playing against each other for the second time. In 2017, Doi was up by a set against Sakkari before the Greek retired the match.