Maria, ranked 103rd, reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her 35th appearance at a major tournament.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Maria said. “I think I had a good game from start to finish.”
Maria’s previous record at a Grand Slam was the third round at Wimbledon in 2015.
Sakkari beat Maria 6-4, 7-6(2) in the first round of this year’s Australian Open. The German said this game “gave me some confidence… and I knew I had my chances. If I play smart and play well, I can win this game.
Sakkari, 26, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist, committed 30 unforced errors, including a forehand volley into the net during the break point key in game six of the second set.
“It was a very poor performance from me. Very disappointing,” said Sakkari, who is yet to make it past the third round at Wimbledon. “I mean, credit to Tatjana. She played really well. played his game. I just screwed up my game plan and everything.
Next up for Maria is 12th-seeded Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion who advanced with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 win over Irina-Camelia Begu.
Heather Watson hadn’t reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament either – until Friday. The 30-year-old Briton, making her 12th appearance for the All England Club, beat Kaja Juvan 7-6(6), 6-2.
Watson will next play Jule Niemeier from Germany. She beat Lesia Tsurenko 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Caroline Garcia, who defeated 10th-seeded Emma Raducanu in the second round, beat 33rd-seeded Chinese Shuai Zhang 7-6(3), 7-6(5). She next faces Marie Bouzkova, who knocked out 28th seed Alison Riske 6-2, 6-3.
Third-seeded Ons Jabeur also advanced with a 6-2, 6-3 win over France’s Diane Parry. The Tunisian will face 24th seed Elise Mertens, who knocked out 2018 Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber 6-4, 7-5.
More AP Wimbledon coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/wimbledon and https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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