With Wimbledon now in the rearview mirror, the WTA Tour rolls on with 250-level action in Iasi and Athens this week. However, the latter event has drawn criticism from fans over the quality of tennis on display. The match in question was between the home favorite Sapfo Sakellaridi and Italy’s Miriana Tona.

One of the rallies from the match has circulated widely on social media, drawing fans’ attention to the quality of the match. With Tona winning the first set, the home favorite had the opportunity to square things up when she had a set point at 6-5, with the Italian serving.

However, the type of tennis one generally associates with in such a big moment was not present in the rally, as both players went on a 21-shot defensive rally, hitting moon balls. There was no initiative from either player to go for a strong baseline shot or come to the net as the point tamely came to an end with Tona’s forehand slice going long off the sidelines, giving the set to Sakellaridi.

The type of rally is often observed on clay courts, but playing such a defensive rally on a hard court really irked the fans. The overall serving quality of the match was poor as well, with a combined 32 break-point opportunities, which really speaks to poor serving, especially on a hard court. On the other hand, some fans argued that a wildcard (Sakellaridi) and a qualifier (Tona) playing in the first round of a 250 event would not make for good viewing anyway.

Both players are currently ranked outside the top 300, with the Greek player’s ranking exceeding 400. Also, if one were to look at their careers, both players are much more accomplished doubles players than singles players, with Tona having no hard-court singles titles on the ITF Tour, even though she has 17 ITF doubles titles.

On the other hand, Sakellaridi has three hard-court titles on the ITF Tour but is a much more accomplished doubles player, having won 50 doubles titles to date.

It’s not surprising that a match between two lower-ranked players wouldn’t be a prime-time viewing, but that didn’t stop fans from voicing their opinions.

Fans Not Happy With the Match Quality at the Athens Open

One fan was not at all happy with the quality of the match between Sakellaridi and Tona, expressing his incredulity that this was a main Tour-level match. “Can’t believe this is a real WTA match”, said the fan.

Another fan had a more realistic approach to the argument, pointing out the rankings of both players. Also, neither player qualified directly for the main draw, with Sakellaridi getting a wildcard as a local player and Tona getting in as a lucky loser after losing to Nao Hibino in the qualifiers. “I mean they are both out of the world’s top 250, right?? Sakellaridi is a WC and Tona is a LL. The level makes sense… its like W50 level tennis”, said the fan.

Other fans echoed similar sentiments, with one fan saying, “WTA 250 not even challenger omg.” At the same time, another stated, “They are literally doing nothing in this rally, looks like they are warming up.”

However, one fan made an interesting remark, comparing the match’s style of play to that of Maja Chwalinska, who shook the world by reaching the French Open final as a qualifier. Throughout the campaign in Paris, Chwalinska did not use the power-based game; instead, she used slices, dropshots, and moonballs to disrupt her opponents’ rhythm.

The Polish pro used her lefty angle to find the baseline corners with her shots, which worked well on the slower clay surface. However, that same strategy fell flat on its face in the final against Mirra Andreeva, as the Russian seemed to be ready for the type of shots, and once she got her groove on, the Pole could not match her power.

“Chwalinska played Roland Garros Final with this strategy,” said the fan.

Despite not having a great match, Tona won the contest in three sets against the home favorite and will now face the top-seeded Clara Tauson in the second round.