Maria Sakkari walked onto the court at the 2025 Monterrey Open hoping to reset her season. But what should have been a fresh start quickly turned sideways. The Greek found herself battling not just Donna Vekić, but a crowd that just wouldn’t stay quiet. With her composure hanging by a thread and the pressure mounting, everyone in the stadium wondered: How would Sakkari respond to this chaos?
How Did Maria Sakkari’s Fans Impact the Monterrey Open Match?
The tension started during Sakkari’s opening round against Croatia’s Donna Vekić. A few spectators disrupted play, making noises right as Sakkari tried to serve. The crowd’s behavior threw off Sakkari’s rhythm, and her frustration showed with each point.
Sakkari, who turned 30 this year, had hoped to build on her strong start to the North American hard-court swing. She reached the quarterfinals in Washington, DC, before falling short against former US Open champion Emma Raducanu. Things took a turn after that, as she struggled to find momentum in the following tournaments.
Her Canadian Open run started well with a win over Carson Branstine, but ended with a 5-7, 4-6 defeat to Jessica Pegula. Not long after, her struggles continued in Cincinnati, where she lost a tough match to eventual finalist Jasmine Paolini, by identical tie-break scores of 6-7(7), 6-7(7). This set the stage for Monterrey, where Sakkari needed things to turn around.
Instead, she was out of sorts against Vekić, dropping the match 2-6, 3-6. The night’s most significant talking point came when fans broke Sakkari’s concentration with unexpected noises before her serve. Sakkari’s reaction was immediate: She glared at the crowd, her frustration growing, and finally called out, “Can you stop?”
Sakkari had enough of the people making noises in the crowd, was that a “callate”? 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/wT9R5NWGiZ
— Lorena Popa 🕵️♀️🎾 (@popalorena) August 19, 2025
While Sakkari addressed the disruptions directly, such moments are not new for her. The Greek player has shown emotion during tough matches before, and her history includes other tense exchanges.
What Other Heated Moments Has Sakkari Faced Recently?
Tension is nothing new for Sakkari. In the 2025 Bad Homburg Open, she squared off with Yulia Putintseva in a drama-filled match. Sakkari edged out a tight first set, 7-5, while the second set went to a tie-break.
The turning point came at a crucial moment. A disputed line call initially went to Putintseva, but Sakkari challenged it, and the review overturned the original ruling. Sakkari was awarded the point, and she closed out the match with a 7-6(6) win in the second set.
Things didn’t calm down after match point. Tensions spilled over into the handshake, with Sakkari stepping toward Putintseva’s side as her opponent responded theatrically. The Greek drove her point home, saying, “When you shake hands, look at the other person in the eye,” during the exchange.
Sakkari and Putintseva got really heated at the net omg 😳 pic.twitter.com/Wgrf10sQcu
— Owen (@kostekcanu) June 22, 2025
The showdown continued until Putintseva ended it with a bow, refusing to back down. Both players left the court with nerves still raw.
One has nothing to with the other. Fans know they have abligation to players to be quiet during play. Why the ref didn’t call for decorum was sad and the blame is on there shoulders