Maria Sakkari and Nuria Parrizas-Diaz will take on each other in the round of 32 of the 2023 WTA Linz Open on February 7.
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With a WTA 1000 final victory in Guadalajara and a WTA Finals semifinal appearance, Maria Sakkari wrapped up the previous season. All that momentum didn’t bear any fruit, however, as she was defeated by Zhu Lin, ranked 87th in the world, in the third round of the Melbourne Open. This was Zhu Lin’s first-ever Grand Slam third-round match. The No. 7 player in the world decided to make her debut in Linz. For the Greek player, who excels on indoor hard courts, this is not an unusual choice. She actually placed in the semifinals in St. Petersburg and Ostrava in 2020; she finished in the finals in Ostrava and the semifinals in Moscow in 2021; and she finished in the finals in St. Petersburg last year.
After creating a minor stir in Melbourne, Nuria Parrizas-Diaz left for Europe. On her way to her second grand slam third-round appearance of her career, she won in straight sets against Beatriz Haddad Maia (her first top 20 victory) and Anastasia Potapova. However, it was immediately followed by a loss to Anna Bondar in Lyon’s opening round. Over the past year, she has suffered a staggering 16 first-round defeats. The late-blooming Spaniard won’t be bothered as long as she maintains her ranking in the top 100 and keeps producing results like the semifinal appearances in Monterrey and 125K Valencia, as well as quarterfinal performances in Rabat, Palermo, Granby, and Cluj-Napoca.
| Maria Sakkari vs Nuria Parrizas-Diaz | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | February 7, 2023 |
| Surface | Hard courts |
| Tournament | Linz Open |
| Stage | Round of 32 |
| Time (India) | 11:00 pm |
| Time (Austria) | 6:30 pm |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Zhu Lin | 7-6, 1-6, 6-4 (L) |
| Diana Shnaider | 6-3, 5-7, 3-6 (W) |
| Yue Yuan | 6-1, 6-4 (W) |
| Caroline Garcia | 6-3, 6-2 (L) |
| Ons Jabeur | 6-3, 6-2 (W) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Anna Bondar | 6-4, 6-4 (L) |
| Donna Vekic | 6-2, 6-2 (L) |
| Anastasia Potapova | 6-3, 6-2 (W) |
| Beatriz Haddad-Maia | 7-6, 6-2 (W) |
| Yulia Putinseva | 6-2, 6-3 (L) |
At a 1-1 tie. The two last competed in Greek ITF tournaments when Maria Sakkari was a teen; she won in Athens in 2011 and lost in Marathon in 2013. As the Spaniard competes against her second top-10 opponent, the top seed will continue to be the overwhelming favourite (lost to Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 6-2, in Granby).
Maria Sakkari and Nuria Parrizas-Diaz will take on each other in the round of 32 of the 2023 WTA Linz Open on February 7.
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