Maria Sakkari clinched a spot at the WTA Finals for the first time by reaching the quarterfinals at the Kremlin Cup on Thursday when Anna Kalinskaya retired with an illness in the second set.

The third-seeded Sakkari, who was leading 6-2, 1-0 when Kalinskaya retired, became the first Greek woman to qualify for the season-ending event for the top eight players.

“It’s achieving one of my biggest goals this year, it’s very satisfying,” Sakkari said.

Former champion Simona Halep also advanced by beating home favorite Veronika Kudermetova 6-1, 7-6 (4) and Anett Kontaveit ousted Andrea Petkovic 6-1, 6-4. [AP]

This article was previously published at ekathimerini.com.