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Maria Sakkari has flipped the script just weeks after she was left in tears and considering taking a break from tennis. The world No 9 said she was happy to be \u201csmiling\u201d again after reaching the joint-biggest final of her career at the WTA 1000 in Guadalajara. Sakkari is now just one win away from picking up her second title. It comes after she sobbed in a post-match press conference after crashing out of the US Open in the first round.<\/p>\n
Sakkari made waves when she suffered an early exit to Rebeka Masarova in New York. It was her third consecutive loss in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament and the Greek star was tearful afterwards. \u201cMaybe I should take a break, I’m suffering on the court. I can’t make a decision now, it’s hard. I don’t have a clear mind,\u201d the 28-year-old said at the time.<\/p>\n
But she decided to continue with her competition schedule as normal after being overwhelmed by supportive messages from fans and from her rivals. And the decision has paid off as Sakkari is now one win away from picking up her biggest title yet.<\/p>\n
Speaking after her dominant 6-3 6-0 victory over Caroline Garcia, the world No 9 referenced their match earlier this year in Doha – a battle that she won in a final set tiebreak. \u201cThe last one that we played was one of the toughest matches I\u2019ve played in my career,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive tennis news<\/strong><\/p>\n Just in <\/strong> Federer a ‘professional driver’ as he tells Laver Cup fans what he’s been up to[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n But Sakkari had a different goal in her semi-final against the Frenchwoman, as she admitted that she just wanted to enjoy herself after a difficult few weeks. The second seed in Guadalajara continued: \u201cI have to say that my goal today was to smile, to enjoy, to come out here to have fun.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause those are the emotions I haven\u2019t felt in a while and I kept telling myself that if you don\u2019t feel it here in this amazing stadium, where are you going to feel it? So you know, mission complete.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/72\/590x\/secondary\/4974769.jpg?r=1695487558782\")
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