Tennis simply never stops and the action has continued straight after the conclusion of the US Open.
The Grand Slam season is over for another year, with Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka winning the US Open singles titles.
Both players will now likely have a break, with Alcaraz already withdrawing from his next tournament.
However, for players ranked lower down it is now a good opportunity for them to gain valuable ranking points in the latter stages of the 2025 season.
Photo by Simon Barber/Getty ImagesMaria Sakkari suffers emphatic defeat in first match since the US Open
Maria Sakkari is one of those players, with the former world number three and two-time Grand Slam semifinalist looking to continue her resurgence back up the WTA rankings.
After a significant drop off in form earlier this year, Sakkari dropped down to as low as world number 92 in the WTA rankings.
Since then, Sakkari has reunited with her former coach Tom Hill and has begun to see some improved results.
This includes reaching the third round of the US Open, enabling Sakkari to climb back up to world number 55 in the rankings.
Sakkari was looking to continue this form at the Guadalajara Open, the tournament that she actually won when it was a WTA 1000 level event in 2023.
However, it was not a happy return to Mexico for Sakkari, who lost 6-2 6-0 to world number 83 Elsa Jacquemot in just over an hour.
This was just the 10th time 22-year-old Jacquemot has won a main tour match, while Sakkari has suffered her heaviest defeat in a completed match in nearly two years.
The last time that Sakkari suffered such an emphatic defeat was at the 2023 WTA Finals, where she was beaten by Aryna Sabalenka, 6-0 6-1.
What is next for Maria Sakkari after her emphatic defeat in Guadalajara?
While there appear to be few positives to take from her latest match, Sakkari can at least be reassured by the lack of ranking points she has to defend this year.
After struggling with a shoulder injury, Sakkari was forced to end her season early last year and did not play another tournament until after the US Open.
As a result, she now has no ranking points to defend until 2026, which should allow Sakkari to play with some freedom.
Sakkari’s defeat in Guadalajara is not going to see her climb the rankings, but she is also unlikely to drop down much either.
As she looks to avenge this disappointing result, Sakkari will now head to Asia where she will play her next match at the China Open in Beijing, which begins on Wednesday, September 24.