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Maria Sakkari has defeated Caroline Wozniacki in an exhibition match in Mexico City. Sakkari, ranked at No 9 in the world, beat former world No 1 Wozniacki 6-3 6-4 at the TennisFest GNP exhibition. In front of a sold-out crowd at Plaza de Toros, Sakkari and Wozniacki started by firmly holding on to their serve through the first six games.
Then, Sakkari claimed back-to-back breaks in the seventh and ninth games to seal the first set. In the second set, Sakkari and Wozniacki traded one break of serve each. In the ninth game, Sakkari broke Wozniacki again for a 5-4 lead.
Up by a set and a break, Sakkari served out for the match in the 10th game.
Sakkari beats Wozniacki in Mexico
Sakkari, 28, usually plays well in Mexico and there she is a fan favorite. In late August, Sakkari suffered a devastating US Open first-round loss, after which she broke down in tears and indicated that she may take a break from tennis.
But Sakkari decided to continue playing and three weeks later went to Mexico for a WTA 1000 tournament in Guadalajara. After experiencing one of the biggest lows of her career at the US Open, Sakkari bounced back by winning her first WTA 1000 title in Guadalajara.
Throughout the entire week in Guadalajara, Sakkari was receiving a very strong support from the crowd. After winning Guadalajara, Sakkari was asked if there was something special in playing in Mexico for the Greeks since Stefanos Tsitsipas also won Los Cabos during the summer.
"Maybe. Probably. I don't know. I feel like personally I've always played good here. I've said it many times that this place suits me well, it fits my game really well. Yeah, I'm happy that two Greeks have won two of the Mexican tournaments this year," Sakkari said at the time. Although it was just an exhibition, Sakkari played well against Wozniacki and ended up clinching another win in Mexico.