Maria Sakkari secured her 15th tour-level win of the season on Sunday, June 22, by defeating Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in a tightly contested first-round match at the 2025 Bad Homburg Open.
The Greek star prevailed 7-5, 7-6(6) after a grueling two hours and 26 minutes, making a strong return to the German tournament where she had suffered a first-round exit as the top seed last year.
However, the win was overshadowed by post-match drama. Tensions flared during the handshake, with the two players exchanging sharp words at the net.
Putintseva, currently ranked World No. 27, gave Sakkari a cold handshake and walked away, prompting the Greek to voice her displeasure.
When Putintseva reportedly asked Sakkari to “treat her like a human being,” Sakkari reacted by sarcastically bowing in response.
The situation quickly escalated as Sakkari, clearly unimpressed, continued confronting her opponent while she packed up.
Their heated exchange ended with Sakkari allegedly telling Putintseva that “nobody on the WTA Tour liked her.”
Unbothered, Putintseva appeared to mock Sakkari on her way off the court, making a crying gesture in a final jab at the former World No. 3.
Maria Sakkari is looking to improve her WTA ranking with favourable results in the grass season
Maria Sakkari’s grasscourt season has gotten off to a rocky start, with the Greek losing two of her three matches so far.
Although she managed to reach the second round at the Libema Open earlier this month, her campaign at the Berlin Tennis Open ended prematurely with a first-round exit in the qualifiers.
Looking ahead, Sakkari will be aiming for a strong performance at this week’s Bad Homburg Open — her final opportunity to build momentum ahead of Wimbledon.
The 29-year-old is determined to finally break into the second week at the All England Club, having been stopped in the third round on four separate occasions (2017, 2019, 2022, and 2024).
A solid run at SW19 could also provide a much-needed boost to her singles ranking, which recently dipped outside the WTA top 30 for the first time in six years.
