Gauff knocks out Sakkari, U.S. gains key advantage against Greece ATP Tour
federation cup
Goff knocks out Sakkari, U.S. gains key advantage against Greece
Fritz will face Tsitsipas next
January 7, 2026
australian tennis
Coco Gauff defeated Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-2 in the Fed Cup.
Author: ATP/WTA Staff
When Coco Gauff is at his best, it’s not far-fetched to say the American puts the star in “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
So it’s no surprise that Goff performed well in the U.S.’s quarterfinal matchup against Greece on Wednesday. The world No. 4 defeated Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 26 minutes at RAC Arena to give the United States a 1-0 lead in the men’s singles battle between Taylor Fritz and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
What made Gauff’s performance even more impressive was that she was coming off one of her toughest matches in recent memory, especially on serve. Under sunny Perth skies, those issues were non-existent as the 21-year-old led the way across the board.
“Definitely a better game today,” Goff said in an on-court interview. “Last game, I just wanted to erase it. That’s the beauty of this tournament, having a team like Taylor [Fritz] and christianity [Harrison] This gave me a chance to stay in the tournament and be able to prove myself better today. So I’m very happy to be able to get my team ahead today. “
Gauff’s service scoring has been greatly improved, with a first serve hit rate of 68% and a scoring rate of 76%. Two days earlier, she hit 14 double faults, and against Sakkari she reduced her total to six in the victory.
For Sakkari, the fight was a setback to an otherwise promising week, especially wins over Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu. Although the season has just begun, 2026 is already looming for the 30-year-old. Sakkari was once a top-five player on the Mercedes-Benz WTA Tour and entered the PIF WTA rankings at No. 52 this year.
Goff’s victory marked her third consecutive victory over Sakkari, with the United States leading 6-5 in head-to-head matches.
