Greek No.5 seed Maria Sakkari safely through to second round at Wimbledon

By Charlie Stong on Court No.2 at Wimbledon

Number five seed Maria Sakkari says she is feeling good about her game after her opening round win over Australian Zoe Hives.

The Greek won 6-1, 6-4, a victory which included an opening set of just 26 minutes.

She broke in the very first game of the match, imposing herself on the Aussie by taking the game to love.

And although Hives held the third game of the set, Sakkari broke to take it to 4-1 and again in the final game of the set.

The match appeared to be going in only one direction when Sakkari broke to take a 2-0 lead in the second set but Hives responded with a break of her own before an injury to her left thigh forced her to take a medical time out.

Sakkari broke in the very next game to take a 3-1 lead before Hives responded.

But the Greek broke serve in the final game of the set and took it 6-4 to complete the win.

Afterwards she said: “I’m feeling very good. Obviously I had the chance to close out the match sooner than I did, but overall I think it was a very solid performance.

“I’m very happy to be again in the second round here.

“Tennis is becoming a very quick sport right now, so you have to be aggressive. That’s what I’m trying to do every time I play a match, no matter what surface I’m playing.

“I think Wimbledon is Wimbledon. It’s probably one of most special, if not the most special, tournament of the year.

“There’s something very unique about it. I’m very motivated only by being here. It’s always an honour, no matter what ranking you have, being here. It’s a great reward for what I have achieved. I’m very motivated.”

Pictured top: Action from the first round match on Court No.2 today (Picture: Charlie Stong)