Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Maria Sakkari

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Maria Sakkari made an impact.

Maria Sakkari is a prominent Greek professional tennis player. She achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 3 by the WTA on March 21, 2022, making her the highest-ranked Greek player, a distinction she shares with Stefanos Tsitsipas. Sakkari's peak doubles ranking reached world No. 169 on September 9, 2019. She represents Greece at the highest level of professional tennis.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2012: Fed Cup Debut

In 2012, Maria Sakkari made her debut for the Greece Fed Cup team.

2012: DESMOS charity association founding

Since 2012, DESMOS charity association uplifts vulnerable social groups, through actions and programs.

July 11, 2016: WTA Ranking

On July 11, 2016, Maria Sakkari reached 97 in the WTA rankings.

2016: Istanbul Cup

In 2016, Maria Sakkari had her second win on the WTA Tour at the Istanbul Cup, where she defeated Anna Karolína Schmiedlová. After beating Hsieh Su-wei in the second round, she reached her first WTA Tour quarterfinal, where she lost to Danka Kovinić.

2016: Australian Open Win

In 2016, at the Australian Open, Maria Sakkari qualified and achieved her first WTA Tour and Grand Slam match win against Wang Yafan.

October 2017: WTA Rankings

In October 2017, Maria Sakkari reached No. 50 in the WTA rankings.

2017: Wuhan Open Semifinal

In 2017, Maria Sakkari reached the semifinals at the Wuhan Open, securing her first top-10 win by defeating Caroline Wozniacki.

2017: Third round at the Australian Open

In 2017, Maria Sakkari reached the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the Australian Open, where she lost in the third round to Mirjana Lučić-Baroni.

2018: Year-End Ranking

In 2018, Maria Sakkari finished the year inside the top 50, reaching No. 41.

2018: French Open Third Round

In 2018, Maria Sakkari reached the third round at the French Open, after defeating Mandy Minella and Carla Suárez Navarro and then she completed third rounds at all Grand Slam tournaments.

2018: Indian Wells

In 2018, at Indian Wells, Maria Sakkari beat Donna Vekić, Ashleigh Barty and CoCo Vandeweghe, but lost in the fourth round to Naomi Osaka.

September 2019: Career-best doubles ranking

In September 2019, Maria Sakkari achieved her career-best doubles ranking of world No. 169.

2019: Italian Open Semifinal

In 2019, Maria Sakkari reached the Premier 5 semifinal at the Italian Open, defeating Petra Kvitová, among other players.

2019: WTA Semifinal Losing Streak

Prior to reaching the final at the Ostrava Open in September 2021, Maria Sakkari lost nine straight WTA semifinals since 2019.

2019: DESMOS Ambassador

Since 2019, Maria Sakkari has been part of DESMOS. Maria Sakkari is the first ambassador of the charity association DESMOS.

2020: French Open Semifinal

In 2020, Maria Sakkari made her first Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open after beating Iga Świątek, ending the 11-match, 22-set Roland Garros winning streak of the 2020 champion. She became the first woman from Greece to reach a Grand Slam singles quarterfinal and later semifinal.

2020: Grand Slam Fourth Round Appearances

In 2020, Maria Sakkari reached the fourth round at both the Australian and US Opens.

2020: Aces served

In 2020, Maria Sakkari served the sixth most aces of any WTA player, totaling 144 aces in 31 matches.

September 2021: US Open Semifinal

In September 2021, Maria Sakkari earned a place in only the second major semifinal of her career at the US Open. As a result, she entered the top 15 at world No. 13 on 13 September 2021.

September 2021: Ostrava Open Final and Top 10 Ranking

In September 2021, Maria Sakkari reached the final at the Ostrava Open, defeating Iga Świątek. As a result of reaching the final, she entered the top 10 in the WTA rankings for the first time in her career on 27 September 2021.

2021: WTA Finals Qualification

In 2021, Maria Sakkari qualified for the WTA Finals, becoming the first Greek woman to participate in the year-end tournament. She reached the semifinals defeating Aryna Sabalenka in three sets.

2021: Grand Slam Semifinal

In 2021, Maria Sakkari reached the semifinals at the French and US Opens, making her the first Greek woman to reach a major semifinal.

March 2022: Highest WTA ranking

In March 2022, Maria Sakkari achieved her highest WTA ranking of world No. 3, tying with Stefanos Tsitsipas as the highest-ranked Greek player.

September 2023: Guadalajara Title

Until September 23 2023 when she won the Guadalajara title, the Morocco Open was the only tournament where Maria Sakkari had succeeded to win a title.

2023: United Cup and Australian Open

In 2023, Maria Sakkari started the year with games at the United Cup where she and the Greece team reached the semifinal. Sakkari reached the third round of the Australian Open and was knocked out by world No. 87, Zhu Lin.