Maria Sakkari Defeats Ashlyn Krueger in Brutal 3-Hour Beijing Marathon That Left Fans Exhausted

Let’s be honest here—when a tennis match stretches past the three-hour mark, you start wondering if someone forgot to tell the players this isn’t the Australian Open final. Maria Sakkari and Ashlyn Krueger decided to give Beijing spectators their money’s worth (and then some) in what can only be described as a grueling war of attrition that lasted three hours and 29 minutes.

This wasn’t just any first-round slog, either. We’re talking about the third-longest tour-level match of 2025, which honestly says more about the state of modern tennis than we’d probably like to admit. Remember when matches used to end in reasonable time frames? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

Sakkari’s Rollercoaster Performance Against Krueger

The Greek veteran started strong, racing to a commanding 5-2 lead in the opening set. For a brief, shining moment, it looked like this might be a straightforward affair. How naive we were. Sakkari needed – and I cannot stress this enough – four set points to finally close out the tiebreak. Four. If that doesn’t scream “this is going to be a long day,” nothing does.

The second set was where things got truly ridiculous. Sakkari found herself just two points away from victory while serving at 5-4. Two measly points separated her from a nice, clean straight-sets win and maybe catching the evening news. But Krueger had other plans, forcing another tiebreak that Sakkari somehow managed to lose despite being in the driver’s seat.

The American’s Valiant but Ultimately Futile Effort

Credit where credit’s due – Krueger wasn’t just along for the ride in this tennis marathon. The American pushed Sakkari to the absolute brink, forcing a deciding third set that honestly nobody in the stadium probably wanted at that point. She even managed to take a 4-2 lead in the final set, which must have felt like climbing Mount Everest only to discover there’s another peak waiting.

But here’s the thing about these epic battles: someone has to lose, and unfortunately for Krueger, that someone was her. Sakkari clawed her way back from that 4-2 deficit like a woman possessed, perhaps motivated by the thought of finally getting off that court before midnight.

What This Beijing Epic Means for Both Players