FORT WORTH, Texas — Tennis sometimes has a random sense of humor. Or is it more a sense of mischievous timing?
Eight days ago, Jessica Pegula defeated Maria Sakkari in the final of the Guadalajara 1000 event by a 6-2, 6-3 score. But there was an asterisk, for Sakkari earlier had finished her semifinal match against Marie Bouzkova after rain postponed it the day before following one set. The final was 7-5, 6-4, and afterward Sakkari said, “I just didn’t have anything in the tank.”
On Monday, they were again on opposite sides of the court, the opening round-robin singles act at the 2022 WTA Finals Fort Worth. This time, the tank was unquestionably full.
The No.5-seeded Sakkari survived a pair of taut tiebreakers to defeat No.3 Pegula 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) at Dickies Arena.
“I was very aggressive,” Sakkari said in her post-match press conference. “If you’re passive, Jess is just going to make you run — she’s going to hit the ball very hard, and it’s over.
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“I think it’s always easier for the player that loses the first match than the player that wins. The player that wins has all the pressure. I don’t think it ever crossed her mind that it’s going to be an easy match because she beat me a week ago. I never felt like she underestimated me today.”
And so, an energized Sakkari drew first blood in the Nancy Richey Group. The 27-year-old from Greece has struggled to maintain confidence across this uneven season. Back in March, Sakkari reached the Indian Wells 1000 final — and then the curve flattened dramatically. Despite her Top 10 ranking, she was a .500 player from that point through the US Open.
And then she reached the finals in Parma and Guadalajara, which was enough to secure the last singles position in Fort Worth. A year ago, Sakkari reached the semifinals at the WTA Finals in Guadalajara. On Monday, that experience was in evidence; in the handful of points that ultimately mattered most, she was better.
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Sakkari came out looking fresh with a considerable pep. And then she and Pegula proceeded to play a terrific first set. It was only appropriate that it came down to a tiebreak. Pegula saved two set points before Sakkari ripped a forehand passing shot and left the court with a powerful fist pump.
The set ran 71 minutes — one minute longer than the…