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Maria Sakkari suffered her third successive defeat as she bowed out of the Qatar Open in the second round on Tuesday, February 13.
The Greek athlete entered the tournament as the seventh seed and thus, received a bye to the second round, where she was up against Czech Republic's Linda Noskova. She got off to a fine start, winning the first set 6-3.
Sakkari was a break up in the second set and had a match point but squandered it as Noskova bounced back to register a 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-5 win to reach the third round of the Qatar Open, where she will face compatriot Karolina Pliskova.
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Maria Sakkari's defeat means that she will drop out of the Top 10 of the WTA rankings for the first time since September 2021. Several fans reacted to the Greek professional's loss in Doha, with one saying that it is only a matter of time before she starts playing pickleball.
"Only a matter of time until Sakkari is playing pickleball," the fan commented on Reddit.
One fan said that Sakkari deserved to drop out of the Top 10.
"Absolutely deserved honestly Sakkari should be nowhere near top 10," the fan's comment read.
Another fan poked fun at Sakkari, saying that she enjoys losing.
"I think she enjoys losing at this point," the fan's comment read.
Here are some more reactions to Sakkari's defeat:
Maria Sakkari has a 4-3 win-loss record so far in 2024
Maria Sakkari has won four out of seven matches so far in the 2024 season.
The Greek started the season at the United Cup, where she represented Greece and won all three of her singles matches. She thrashed Daniela Seguel before registering a 7-6(2), 6-3 win over Leylah Fernandez. The 28-year-old then made easy work of former World No. 1 Angelique Kerber, beating her 6-0, 6-3.
Sakkari then competed at the Australian Open and reached the second round with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Nao Hibino. However, she lost 6-4, 6-4 to Elena Avanesyan. The 28-year-old then suffered a 6-2, 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Sorana Cirstea at the Abu Dhabi Open before her loss to Noskova in Doha.
Maria Sakkari is next scheduled to compete at the Dubai Tennis Championships, which starts on February 19. The Greek will not have too many points to defend as she lost in the second round of the WTA 1000 tournament in 2023.
