Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and No. 5 Coco Gauff were ousted by a pair of Russians in the second round of the bett1open in Berlin on Thursday.
Veronika Kudermetova defeated Sabalenka 6-2, 7-6 (2) while Ekaterina Alexandrova needed just 75 minutes to dispatch Gauff, 6-4, 6-0. Kudermetova and Alexandrova will face each other in the quarterfinals.
Kudermetova won 83.3 percent of her first serves en route to her win. Gauff struggled with her serve, winning just 54.8 percent of her first serves and 39.4 percent of her second.
Sixth-seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece made quick work of Belarus’ Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 6-2, 6-1 to advance. Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic advanced when Germany’s Jule Niemeier retired in the second set, with Vondrousova leading 6-3, 6-5.
Rothesay Classic
Top seed Barbora Krejcikova defeated fellow Czech Tereza Martincova 6-4, 6-4 in the second round at Birmingham, England.
Second-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia rebounded with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over Venus Williams. Ostapenko was up a break in the second set and had match point on Williams’ serve, but she lost that game and the next three that forced a third set.
No. 4 Anastasia Potapova of Russia rallied to defeat Caty McNally 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (0) to advance. No. 8 Sorana Cirstea of Romania fell to Poland’s Magdalena Frech 6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-4.
Canadian Rebecca Marino also advanced in three sets.
–Field Level Media