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Maria Sakkari has had an underwhelming run in 2023 so far. First-round exits at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, alongside some inconsistent results, posed a serious threat to her ranking. However, the World No. 9 has perhaps found some solace in Washington as she set up a final against Coco Gauff. She overcame her semi-final hurdle and cruised past Jessica Pegula in three sets to book a place in the finals.

Sakkari has faced severe criticism throughout her career for her performances in later rounds of tournaments. The Greek has been a consistent top-ten player for close to two years. However, she has won only one title in her career so far and has a forgettable semi-final match record. After the win over Pegula, Sakkari weighed in on the critics and naysayers.

Maria Sakkari reveals how she blocked her scar tissue

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The Greek was entering the match after having lost six semi-finals on the bounce. The lucky number seven turned out to be different for Sakkari. While she must feel relieved to have broken the drought, it is also important to understand what it was like during the tougher times. Sakkari expressed what went through her mind during that period in her post-match interview.

The World No. 9 said, “I really tried to block that semifinal thing that’s been going on and on for so long and on every platform. They have made YouTube videos of me losing semifinals. I don’t really care anymore. People are just so dumb.” Clearly, Sakkari was well aware of the social media noise surrounding her semi-final record.

According to Tennis.com, she further added, “But obviously I had it in my mind that I want to overcome that for this year. It’s something that I’m happy about that it happened this week. But I’m not done yet. That’s how I feel.

Sakkari oozed confidence in the press conference. She has made it apparent that she wants to go all the way and win the title here. However, if her underwhelming track records are anything to go by, then she has quite a difficult mountain to climb.

Sakkari’s poor record in the finals

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The semi-final record was not the only worrying point for the Greek player. Her record in the finals has been as disappointing. She has played seven WTA singles finals in her career while winning only one of them.

However, Maria Sakkari also ended a six-match losing streak in the semi-finals, just hours ago. Similarly, she could break a five-match losing streak in the finals in a few hours. If she does come through in the final, it would be her first WTA 500 title.

READ MORE: WTA Tennis Star Maria Sakkari Blames Hectic Schedule for Robbing Her of First-Class F1 Experience

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Do you think Maria Sakkari will win the second title of her career in the Washington Open? Let us know in the comments.

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