(Fort Worth) Driven by an irresistible desire, imperial on the court, the French Caroline Garcia offered herself a first final of the WTA Masters, beating 6-3, 6-2 the Greek Maria Sakkari, Sunday in Fort Worth (Texas ).
Posted at 6:39 p.m.
The 29-year-old player (N.6 in the world) is already doing better than in 2017, when she failed in the semi-finals of the prestigious event, then defeated by the American Venus Williams.
She can become the second Frenchwoman to add her name to the list on Monday, after Amélie Mauresmo, who was crowned at the expense of Mary Pierce in 2005, during a final then 100% tricolor.
To do this, she will have to beat the Polish world N.1 Iga Swiatek, winner of eight titles gleaned in 2022 including Roland-Garros and the US Open, or the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (N.7), opposed in the evening.
Facing Sakkari (N.5), against whom she had a slight psychological advantage for having beaten her in their two previous confrontations, Garcia had her most successful match of the tournament.
Always so aggressive, she constantly put her opponent on the back foot and often at fault. Sharp on the return, placed well inside the court, she took advantage of Sakkari’s low percentage of first serves (37%) to win the first set in 35 minutes.
Despite a 2:27 fight as physically and mentally demanding the day before to beat the Russian Daria Kasatkina, “Caro” then showed no signs of fatigue.
She again stepped on the accelerator in the second set, started with two consecutive breaks to come away 4-0. Sakkari, who was just dropping her shots to keep up with the infernal pace imposed by her rival, could not change the course of the match.
Most successful match
Because the Frenchwoman, who lined up the winning shots (21-8), also proved to be very effective in the service, with 6 aces that came to inflate her total to 379 this season, an area where she is sure to finish in first place ahead of the Kazakh Elena Rybakina (370).
For Garcia, reaching the final of the Masters is a huge satisfaction, after six difficult last weeks, victim of a phenomenon of decompensation. She had had a flamboyant summer which saw her win three titles (Bad Homburg, Warsaw, Cincinnati) before reaching the semis at the US Open.
A rebirth, after more than four years without brilliance, between crisis of confidence, tennis in distress and recurring physical worries, which she managed to overcome this year, in a spectacular way, thanks to her work carried out with Bertrand Perret, dominating in her success and his ascent from the 75e at the 6e global place.
But just before the Masters, the latter suddenly decided to end their fruitful collaboration, citing problems that had arisen in recent weeks.
Without him now, therefore, but always with her parents to surround her and the occasional help of the Argentinian coach Juan Pablo Guzman, who had already worked with her last year, she nevertheless knew how to regain momentum at the best time. .
In the heart of a rodeo of strong emotions in the heart of Texas, she can, at the cost of a last effort, finish her flight on a piece of paradise.