Gauff Ends Samsonova’s Washington Title Defense; Sakkari Holds Off Pegula To Make Final

by Staff | August 6th, 2023, 12:57 am
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Coco Gauff’s trial run with Brad Gilbert continued to pay dividends as the teen star made her biggest final of 2023 knocking out defending champion Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 6-3 to reach the title match in Washington, D.C.

“I’m super happy with how I played today,” Gauff told the WTA. “Playing defending champion is never easy. She’s a player that goes really hard on every ball.”

The 19-year-old Gauff hasn’t dropped a set or even faced a set point en route to her first WTA final since Auckland this year, and her first ever in North America.


“I did say at the beginning of this year that I wanted to do better in these 500 and 1000-level tournaments,” Gauff added. “I made the semis in Dubai and semis in Berlin, so I’m happy to finally get through to the final.”

In the final, Gauff will take on Greek No. 1 Maria Sakkari who let slip a 6-3, 4-1 lead before winning in three over top seed Jessica Pegula 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

“What I told myself was that it happens almost every week that someone’s leading a set and a break and then the opponent comes back,” Sakkari was quoted by the WTA. “So I was like, ‘You’re not the first, you’re not the last that is losing this set after being a break up.’

“Just keep being aggressive, because that’s what really worked on the first-and-a-half sets,” she added. “It wasn’t easy, but then I saw it as a challenge just to overcome myself, as I said on the court, after losing that second set, just to be able and come back on that third set.”

Sakkari had lost her last seven WTA semifinal matches until the win today, and it put her into her first final since Guadalajara last fall. It’s her overall 8th career final, she is eyeing her 2nd career title, first title since 2019 in Rabat (d Konta).

“I was playing really good back home, but I didn’t expect to make the final here,” Sakkari said.

“Actually, I had a feeling that this tournament is going to be good for me, but at the same time I was like, ‘OK, let’s see how it goes.’ But, yeah, it’s paying off. I’m playing good tennis again. I’m aggressive.”

Gauff is in her 5th career final. She is seeking her 4th career title.

Sakkari has had the better of Gauff leading 4-1 in their tour-level clashes, most recently posting a win in the 2022 Rome round of 16.

Neither player has ever won a 500-level or greater event before.


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