Second-seeded Maria Sakkari ended her four-year wait for a second WTA title on Saturday, beating Caroline Dolehide 7-5, 6-3 to win the 1000 level Guadalajara Open.

Greece's Sakkari, ranked ninth in the world, had come up empty in six finals since her breakthrough victory in Rabat in 2019.

That included the Guadalajara final last year, when she lost to American Jessica Pegula, and a loss to Coco Gauff in the final at Washington this year.

An emotional Sakkari thanked her coach of five years, noting they'd waited "more than four years for a second title.

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"We've heard so many bad things - that I will never win a title, that I'm a top-five player with only winning one title, that was very hard for me to overcome," she said. "I'm so happy that I did it here this week."

The victory came less than a month after Sakkari was unceremoniously dumped from the first round of the US Open, her third straight first-round exit at a Grand Slam.

Sakkari had said at Flushing Meadows she was "suffering on the court" and was "uncertain" about what to do about it.

This week, however, Sakkari has looked in total command, becoming the first player this year to reach the final of a WTA 1000 event without dropping a set.

Sakkari ended a fairytale week for Dolehide, ranked 111th in the world and playing in her first career final.

Dolehide, who will rise to inside the top 50, came from a set down to beat Peyton Stearns in three tiebreaks in the first round, she beat eighth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova in the third round and saved four match points in her quarter-final win over Martina Trevisan.

In her first career semi-final Dolehide defeated 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.

Dolehide demonstrated the same grit she'd shown all week when she clawed back an early break in the opening set to take a 5-4 lead.

But Sakkari won the next two games, taking advantage of one of Dolehide's six double faults to break for 6-5.

Down 0-30 in the next game, Sakkari battled back to take the set, and finally gained the upper hand in the second with a break for a 3-2 lead.

That proved to be enough, although there was a tense moment in the seventh game, when Sakkari's 40-0 lead evaporated before she steadied herself to take the game with her third ace of the contest.

She closed it out with one more break, converting her second match point.

When Dolehide's volley sailed long, Sakkari fell to the court and covered her face with her hands as the tears came.

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Second-seeded Maria Sakkari ended her four-year wait for a second WTA title on Saturday, beating Caroline Dolehide 7-5, 6-3 to win the 1000 level Guadalajara Open.

Second-seeded Maria Sakkari ended her four-year wait for a second WTA title on Saturday, beating Caroline Dolehide 7-5, 6-3 to win the 1000 level Guadalajara Open. Greece's Sakkari, ranked ninth in the world, had come up empty in six finals since her breakthrough victory in Rabat in 2019. That included the Guadalajara final last year, when she lost to American Jessica Pegula, and a loss to Coco Gauff in the final at Washington this year. An emotional Sakkari thanked her coach of five years, noting they'd waited "more than four years for a second title. Also Read: Ten-man Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 to stay on top of Premier League "We've heard so many bad things - that I will never win a title, that I'm a top-five player with only winning one title, that was very hard for me to overcome," she said. "I'm so happy that I did it here this week." The victory came less than a month after Sakkari was unceremoniously dumped from the first round of the US Open, her third straight first-round exit at a Grand Slam. Sakkari had said at Flushing Meadows she was "suffering on the court" and was "uncertain" about what to do about it. This week, however, Sakkari has looked in total command, becoming the first player this year to reach the final of a WTA 1000 event without dropping a set. Sakkari ended a fairytale week for Dolehide, ranked 111th in the world and playing in her first career final. Dolehide, who will rise to inside the top 50, came from a set down to beat Peyton Stearns in three tiebreaks in the first round, she beat eighth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova in the third round and saved four match points in her quarter-final win over Martina Trevisan. In her first career semi-final Dolehide defeated 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. Dolehide demonstrated the same grit she'd shown all week when she clawed back an early break in the opening set to take a 5-4 lead. But Sakkari won the next two games, taking advantage of one of Dolehide's six double faults to break for 6-5. Down 0-30 in the next game, Sakkari battled back to take the set, and finally gained the upper hand in the second with a break for a 3-2 lead. That proved to be enough, although there was a tense moment in the seventh game, when Sakkari's 40-0 lead evaporated before she steadied herself to take the game with her third ace of the contest. She closed it out with one more break, converting her second match point. When Dolehide's volley sailed long, Sakkari fell to the court and covered her face with her hands as the tears came. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Tennis: Maria Sakkari beats Caroline Dolehide in Guadalajara Open for second WTA title

Second-seeded Maria Sakkari beat third-seeded Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-0 on Friday to book a return trip to the Guadalajara WTA 1000 tournament, where she'll face first-time WTA finalist Caroline Dolehide.

Greece's Sakkari, ranked ninth in the world, is in the Guadalajara final for the second straight year.

Last year she battled through a string of tough three-setters, but this year she hasn't dropped a set on the way to the final, where she'll be seeking her first title since Rabat in 2019.

A victory would be a late high note in an up-and-down season that included a first-round exit at the US Open last month.

"I said it the first day that I felt like this was the week," said Sakkari, who lost to Jessica Pegula in last year's final. "This is the place where I was going to overcome a lot of difficult obstacles and difficult emotions."

"I don't want to go back to the US Open because that's passed, but I'm just so happy to be back in the final, I couldn't have asked for anything better."

Sakkari had just three unforced errors in the opening set, breaking for a 3-1 lead as she took control.

She broke Garcia to open the second set in a game the French player led 40-15, and fought off three break points to push her lead to 4-0.

Sakkari had lost three of four prior meetings with France's Garcia, finally getting past her in Doha this year.

"The last match we played was one of the toughest matches in my career," Sakkari said. "My goal today was to smile, to enjoy, to come out here and have fun. Because those are the emotions that I haven't felt in a while.

"I'm going to have the same goal tomorrow," she said.

Dolehide, playing in her first WTA semi-final, booked her first title match with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over resurgent 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.

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Dolehide rallied from a break down in each set to win the all-American semi, becoming the third unseeded finalist at a WTA 1000 event this year after Karolina Muchova in Cincinnati and Barbora Krejcikova in Dubai.

The 25-year-old ranked 111th in the world also became the second 1000-level finalist ranked outside the top 100 since the format was introduced in 2009.

Dolehide was down a break at 4-2 in the first set when she reeled off three straight games to take a 5-4 lead on the way to pocketing the set.

Trailing 3-1 in the second, Dolehide won five straight games for the victory, saving five break points in the final game before claiming the win on her first match point.

Dolehide's gritty victory follows a quarter-final win over Italian Martina Trevisan in which Dolehide saved four match points.

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Second-seeded Maria Sakkari beat third-seeded Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-0 on Friday to book a return trip to the Guadalajara WTA 1000 tournament, where she'll face first-time WTA finalist Caroline Dolehide.

Second-seeded Maria Sakkari beat third-seeded Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-0 on Friday to book a return trip to the Guadalajara WTA 1000 tournament, where she'll face first-time WTA finalist Caroline Dolehide. Greece's Sakkari, ranked ninth in the world, is in the Guadalajara final for the second straight year. Last year she battled through a string of tough three-setters, but this year she hasn't dropped a set on the way to the final, where she'll be seeking her first title since Rabat in 2019. A victory would be a late high note in an up-and-down season that included a first-round exit at the US Open last month. "I said it the first day that I felt like this was the week," said Sakkari, who lost to Jessica Pegula in last year's final. "This is the place where I was going to overcome a lot of difficult obstacles and difficult emotions." "I don't want to go back to the US Open because that's passed, but I'm just so happy to be back in the final, I couldn't have asked for anything better." Sakkari had just three unforced errors in the opening set, breaking for a 3-1 lead as she took control. She broke Garcia to open the second set in a game the French player led 40-15, and fought off three break points to push her lead to 4-0. Sakkari had lost three of four prior meetings with France's Garcia, finally getting past her in Doha this year. "The last match we played was one of the toughest matches in my career," Sakkari said. "My goal today was to smile, to enjoy, to come out here and have fun. Because those are the emotions that I haven't felt in a while. "I'm going to have the same goal tomorrow," she said. Dolehide, playing in her first WTA semi-final, booked her first title match with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over resurgent 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. ALSO READ | IND vs AUS ODI Series: India draw first blood in Pre-World Cup showdown; Gill, Shami shine Dolehide rallied from a break down in each set to win the all-American semi, becoming the third unseeded finalist at a WTA 1000 event this year after Karolina Muchova in Cincinnati and Barbora Krejcikova in Dubai. The 25-year-old ranked 111th in the world also became the second 1000-level finalist ranked outside the top 100 since the format was introduced in 2009. Dolehide was down a break at 4-2 in the first set when she reeled off three straight games to take a 5-4 lead on the way to pocketing the set. Trailing 3-1 in the second, Dolehide won five straight games for the victory, saving five break points in the final game before claiming the win on her first match point. Dolehide's gritty victory follows a quarter-final win over Italian Martina Trevisan in which Dolehide saved four match points. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Tennis: Second-seeded Maria Sakkari books Guadalajara WTA title clash with Caroline Dolehide

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Tennis: Maria Sakkari beats Caroline Dolehide in Guadalajara Open for second WTA title

Tennis: Second-seeded Maria Sakkari books Guadalajara WTA title clash with Caroline Dolehide