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Maria Sakkari's poor form in Grand Slams continued as she lost in the first round of the 2023 US Open on the opening day of the tournament.
The two-time Grand Slam semifinalist has failed to win a single Grand Slam match since her third-round loss at the 2023 Australian Open. Sakkari has now lost her four last Slam matches on the trot, having failed to go beyond the first round in her last three appearances.
The former World No. 3 was looking to put an end to her losing streak at Slams when she took on Rebeka Masarova in the first round of the New York Major. However, in less than 90 minutes, Sakkari handed the Spaniard her maiden top 10 win of her career.
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At the end of 1 hour and 27 minutes, the final score read 6-4, 6-4 in favor of Masarova.
Several tennis fans reacted to Maria Sakkari's loss on social media, expressing sympathy for the former World No. 3. One fan suggested that she make a change to her coaching team, saying:
"I think #Sakkari needs to make some changes in her team. I don’t know if it’s nervousness or all the expectations get to her, but in big stages she chokes. It’s not reflective of her capabilities."
Another fan asked that Sakkari hire someone else as her new coach, tweeting:
"No one has ever needed a Super Coach more. Hire Justine Henin. Hire Jim Courier. Hire the wandering spirit of Althea Gibson. Hire somebody, please."
Several other fans, however, said that they saw the loss coming given Maria Sakkari's recent form and poor record at Grand Slams.
"Not Surprising though," one user opined.
Other fans urged the Greek to bring any kind of change.
"nah sakkari needs to change something, get a new coach to get a new impuls, this is... something," one fan said.
Below are a few more fan reactions:
Maria Sakkari reached the semifinals of the US Open in 2021
Maria Sakkari is a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist, having reached the last four in 2021 at both Roland Garros and the US Open.
Sakkari was in stunning form in the 2021 edition of the New York Major, not dropping a set until the fourth round of the tournament. She kicked off her campaign with a win over Marta Kostyuk, and also defeated two-time Slam champion Petra Kvitova in straight sets in the third round.
Maria Sakkari eventually lost to Emma Raducanu in the semifinals of the tournament. Raducanu went on to win her maiden Grand Slam title a few days later.
