Maria Sakkari beats Naomi Osaka in Perth, next up is Stefanos Tstisipas | ATP Tour
federation cup
Sakkari overtakes Osaka in Perth, Tsitsipas next
Tsitsipas vs. Mochizuki Upstart, striving to seal the victory
January 2, 2026
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Maria Sakkari defeated Naomi Osaka in straight sets in Perth on Friday.
Author: ATP/WTA Staff
Maria Sakkari shook off the lingering disappointment of last year’s round-robin exit to lead Greece to a fast start at the 2026 Fed Cup in Perth, beating four-time Grand Slam champion and world No. 16 Naomi Osaka in straight sets.
Facing Osaka for the first time in nearly five years, the former world number three Greek used a fast start in two sets to beat the Japanese 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 38 minutes in their first match at the RAC Arena.
Beware of Sakk attacks 💥@MariaSakari A perfect start for Greece in Perth. pic.twitter.com/2O0YqufDOc
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) January 2, 2026
Sakkari took the initiative in the first set, holding serve and breaking early in Osaka’s first service game to take a 2-0 lead. Osaka immediately broke serve, but Sakkari regained the advantage and ended the set with a backhand winner to create a third set point, which she quickly converted.
“My backhand pass was really good,” Sakkari said after the game. “There was a lot of fighting between us, so I felt whoever crossed the line first had the best chance of winning points. It’s something we’ve worked on a lot in pre-season and it paid off today.”
The second set started with two holds, and then Sakkari erased two break points to lead 2-1. She then broke Osaka again to take a 3-1 lead, before continuing to take control as she sealed her third win in six meetings with Osaka, leveling the score and, more importantly, giving Greece a 1-0 lead against Japan.
