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Australian Open 2023 results: Maria Sakkari avoids a shock against Diana Shnaider

Australian Open 2023 results: Maria Sakkari avoids a shock against Diana Shnaider

Maria Sakkari
Maria Sakkari is a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist
Dates:16-29 January Venue: Melbourne Park
Coverage: Commentary every day from 07:00 GMT on Radio 5 Sports Extra ‘Tennis Breakfast’ live from Melbourne, with selected live text commentaries and match reports on the BBC Sport website and app.

Greek sixth seed Maria Sakkari avoided a shock as she fought back to beat Russian teenager Diana Shnaider in the Australian Open second round.

Shnaider, 18, is still to join the professional ranks as she plays in the American college system, but threatened an upset by winning the first set.

But Sakkari regrouped to win 3-6 7-5 6-3, taking her third match point.

Polish top seed Iga Swiatek and American third seed Jessica Pegula had fewer problems in straight-set wins.

Swiatek beat Colombia’s Camila Osario 6-2 6-3, while Pegula was a 6-2 7-6 (7-5) winner against Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

Pegula played with the number three on her skirt in support of NFL player Damar Hamlin, who was discharged from hospital nine days after suffering a cardiac arrest while playing for the Buffalo Bills – the franchise owned by her parents.

“He’s recovered, it’s amazing and awesome to see,” Pegula said.

Russia’s Daria Kasatkina became the first top-10 seed to lose in the women’s draw at this year’s tournament as the eighth seed was thrashed 6-1 6-1 by compatriot Varvara Gracheva.

‘Maybe she should consider not going to college’

Shnaider is a freshman at North Carolina State University in the United States but the bandana-wearing left-hander, who possesses a ferocious forehand, has shown in Melbourne she can compete with the very best.

She had come through three rounds of qualifying before winning in straight sets on her Grand Slam main draw debut to set up the meeting with Sakkari, pushing the Greek all the way in a two-and-a-half-hour encounter.

“She is very young and very promising, maybe she should consider not going to college and turning pro,” joked Sakkari, who is a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist.

“It is difficult when you have not played someone before and I was hesitant. She was swinging hard and playing aggressively. I tried to find solutions and that’s what I think I’m good at.

“It was a very high level from both of us.”

Earlier, Petra Kvitova, the 2019 finalist and 15th seed, became the first top-20 seed to fall, losing 7-5 6-4 to Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina.

American seventh seed Coco Gauff beat Britain’s Emma Raducanu and compatriot Madison Keys, seeded 10th, won 6-3 6-2 against China’s Wang Xinyu.

Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina took just 59 minutes to beat Kaja Juvan of Slovena 6-2 6-1 and set up a meeting with Danielle Collins, who finished runner-up to Ashleigh Barty in Melbourne last year.

American Collins fought past Czech Karolina Muchova 6-7 (1-7) 6-2 7-6 (10-6) but mistakenly celebrated too early in the match tie-break, not realising it was first to 10 points rather than seven.

There was also a win for two-time champion Victoria Azarenka, with the Belarusian thrashing Nadia Podoroska of Argentina 6-0 6-1.

However, former US Open champions Sloane Stephens and Bianca Andreescu both lost. American Stephens fell 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 to Russia’s Anastasia Potapova, while Canada’s Andreescu was beaten 2-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-4 by Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa.

Play was initially delayed by six hours on the outside courts because of rain, with matches taking place late in the evening to make up for the schedule disruption after downpours had also forced postponements on day two.

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