Garcia charges past Sakkari to reach final in Fort Worth

FORT WORTH, Texas – Continuing her career renaissance, No.6 seed Caroline Garcia View Profile swept into the last match at the WTA Finals with a comprehensive 6-3, 6-2 victory over No.5 Maria Sakkari View Profile on Sunday.
Garcia will meet No.7 Aryna Sabalenka View Profile in the Monday final at Dickies Arena at 9 pm ET. Sabalenka will head into the finale coming off an upset against top-ranked Iga Swiatek View Profile .
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The result was a mild surprise given the context of history; Sakkari's loss became only the seventh time a player posted a 3-0 round-robin record and failed to reach the final. It last happened seven years ago, to Maria Sharapova and Garbiñe Muguruza.
29 - Caroline Garcia View Profile is the first player to reach the final at WTA Finals after turning 29 since Venus Williams in 2017. Perseverance.@WTA @WTA_insider @WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/rpPEYHh61Q
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) November 6, 2022
“Yesterday, I was a little bit tired -- nothing unusual after such a big match,” Garcia said in her on-court interview. “This morning, obviously the legs were a bit heavy, but I was just so excited, the emotion and the win yesterday to be playing a semifinal today of the WTA Finals.
“I was feeling very pumped. This morning I talked to my physio [Laura Legoupil] and I said, `I hope it’s going to last long enough to go to the match.'”
older and wiser 😜@CaroGarcia | #WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/00k41qIPMp
— wta (@WTA) November 6, 2022
Indeed, heading in, it was fair to wonder how Garcia would fare physically after Saturday’s draining victory over Daria Kasatkina View Profile . While Garcia was battling for nearly two and a half hours, Sakkari -- thanks to the luck of the draw -- was enjoying a day off.
But it was Garcia who came out looking fresher in the first set, taking the ball early in characteristic fashion. The Frenchwoman broke Sakkari in back-to-back games, while at the same time taking care of her serve.
Garcia would win 12 of 15 first-serve points (80 percent) and add two to her tour-leading ace total. The last shot of the first set underlined Garcia’s dominance: a big serve followed by a drop-shot winner.
The second set didn’t go any better, with Garcia taking Sakkari’s first two service games to take an insurmountable 3-0 lead.
Sakkari -- the last player to qualify for the tournament -- entered the week with only a single Top 10 win this season, but changed the narrative in Texas with victories over No.2 Ons Jabeur View Profile , No.3 Jessica Pegula View Profile and No.7 Aryna Sabalenka View Profile .
This was Garcia’s career-best seventh Top 10 win of the season. At 29, she’s the oldest player to qualify for the semifinals since Venus Williams in 2017. Garcia collected another $420,000 with the win and 330 ranking points -- with the opportunity for $820,000 and 420 more with a win Monday.