Maria Sakkari got crushed in her opening match of the season after world No. 54 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro handed her a 6-2 6-1 defeat at the United Cup.
In the opening match of the Greece and Spain tie, the former world No. 3 entered as the favorite to win.
But the Greek tennis star never stood a chance after losing her serve a stunning seven times and losing with just three games won.
It was the first meeting between Sakkari and the Spaniard.
Picture perfect 👌🇪🇸
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro defeats Sakkari 6-2 6-1 to give Team Spain a 1-0 lead.#UnitedCup pic.twitter.com/LhDO6X4fa4
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) December 28, 2024
Now, the Greek team has depends on Stefanos Tsitsipas, who must beat Pablo Carreno Busta to send the tie into a deciding mixed doubles match.
How Bouzas Maneiro beat Sakkari?
Right from the start of the match, the Spaniard had the upper hand and claimed back-to-back breaks to open a 3-0 lead.
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro© United Cup/Instagram – Fair Use
Down early by two breaks, the Greek managed to get one break back in the fourth game.
But Sakkari’s serving woes continued as she dropped her serve again in the seventh game before Bouzas Maneiro closed out the opener in the following game.
The world No. 54 continued her run at the start of the second set, earning a break in the very first game of the set.
While the former world No. 3 got the break back instantly in the second game, it didn’t change much as the Spaniard won the next five games to complete her two-set win in quite some style.
If Tsitsipas beats Carreno Busta, the tie will be resolved via a mixed doubles match – in which the top-ranked Greek male tennis player will likely team up with Sakkari.
For the highest-ranked Greek female tennis player, it would be nice if that would happen so she gets a shot to bounce back and put the painful singles defeat behind her.
Tennis World USA