Kudermetova Upsets Sabalenka In Berlin, Gauff Goes Down
A pair of big upsets hit the WTA 500 event in Berlin on Thursday as top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka fell to Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets 6-2, 7-6(7-2).
Sabalenka managed to win just 38% on her second serves while the Russian lost just six points on her first offering.
Earlier, Ekaterina Alexandrova continued her roll cruising past the 5th-seeded Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-0. Alexandrova, who just won Den Bosch over Kudermetova, was behind 3-1 earlier before taking the last nine games of the match! She broke the 19-year-old Gauff five times.
“Grass is not my favorite surface, but somehow I’m managing to play so well on it. And maybe the score looks easy, but it’s never like that because she played amazing,” Alexandrova said. “I needed to stay focused during every single point to keep it that way. I’m just hoping I can keep this form as long as I can.”
The 6th-seeded Maria Sakkari had an easy victory over Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 6-1 and Marketa Vondrousova advanced when Germany’s Jule Niemeier retired with a wrist injury down 6-3, 6-5.
In quarterfinal play Friday, No. 3 Caroline Garcia clashes with No. 7 Petra Kvitova. Kvitova leads 5-4 but Garcia won a big one last summer in the Cincinnati final.
Sakkari will battle Vondrousova who upset the Greek in Rome.
Donna Vekic is back to meet the rising Elina Avanesyan in a first-time tour-level clash and in a rematch of the Den Bosch final Alexandrova takes on Kudermetova.
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