Maria Sakkari advanced into the second round of the WTA 1000 Beijing Tennis Open after defeating America’s Ashlyn Krueger in a grueling 3-set match that lasted three and a half hours, the third-longest in 2025.

In the fiercely fought contest, the 21-year-old American, ranked 45th, managed to push the Greek champion to her limits, winning 7/17 break points, compared to Sakkari’s 8/17.

The two sets went to a tiebreak, with Sakkari, currently ranked 56th, winning the first, and the American taking the second to tie the match.

In the 3rd set, Sakkari, who is trying to recapture her previous form that propelled her to No. 3 in the world in 2022, managed to prevail 7-5 to move into the next round, where she will face 25th-ranked Leylah Fernandez.

Sakkari’s longest run in the Beijing Open was in 2023, when she reached the quarterfinals.