Friday 5 April 2019

More upsets in Charleston

There were more exits of top seeds as the round of sixteen was contested in Charleston.  Meanwhile, the second round in Monterrey came to an end.

Abierto GNP Seguros (Monterrey Open) - a WTA International category tournament, on Hard Decoturf,  at Club Sonoma in Monterrey, Mexico, 1-7 April 2019.
Defending champion:
Garbiñe Muguruza (1) who defeated Tímea Babos (4) 3-6 6-4 6-3

Monterrey 

Second round
- Kiki Mladenovic (7) defeated lucky loser Gréta Arn 6-0 6-2
- Garbiñe Muguruza (2) defeated Margarita Gasparyan 6-3 6-7(1) 6-2
- Vika Azarenka (5) defeated Zarina Diyas 6-3 6-2
- Angie Kerber (1) defeated Karolina Muchova 6-3 6-4

Quarter final match ups 

Angie Kerber (1) v Kirsten Flipkens (6)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (3) v Vika Azarenka (5)
Magdaléna Rybáriková (8) v Sachia Vickery 
Kiki Mladenovic (7) v Garbiñe Muguruza (2)

Volvo Car Open (Charleston Open) - a WTA Premier category tournament, on Green Clay, in Charleston, South Carolina, USA, 1-7 April 2019.
Defending champion:
Kiki Bertens (12) who defeated Julia Goerges (5) 6-2 6-1

Charleston 

Round of sixteen
- Mihaela Sakkari (15) v Kiki Bertens (2)
The pair had met on five occasions previously, with Bertens ahead 3-2.  Three of the meetings were in 2018, and Bertens won the most recent of these, in the semis in Seoul in September, but that was on a hard court.  Charleston is on clay.
Sakkari served first and saved two break points, before her wide forehand on the third chance gave Bertens the ideal start.
A sloppy service game from the defending champion presented the break immediately back to Sakkari and it was 1-1. Unhappy at her lapse, Bertens steadied and ran off three straight games, capitalising on an error filled patch suffered by Sakkari, who, after five games had yet to hold serve.
The match needed a spark to lift it out of mediocrity, and Sakkari helped raise the standard. Forcing Bertens into error brought the twelfth seed two break points, and on the first Sakkari hit a forehand winner to be back in the match, trailing now by a single break.

Crisp hitting enabled Sakkari to hold serve and consolidate the break.  However Bertens maintained the edge, courtesy of a quick love game, and led 5-3.  Serving to stay in the set, Sakkari found herself at 0-30 after a Bertens forehand down the line winner.  A couple of forcing forehands and an ace assisted Sakkari to ultimately hold, and ask Bertens to serve for the set.  
The Dutch number one began with two netted forehands, then a wild shot came off the same wing. Three set points were gifted to Sakkari, who used the first one to the fullest by producing a wonderful backhand cross court winner and level at 5-5.

A tie break was required and Bertens raced to 4-1 with two serves to come.  5-1 and just about there. A missed Bertens forehand gave Sakkari a leg in the door.  2-5 and two serves of her own next. Three Dutch errors, the third forced, and Bertens was serving at 5-4.  A service winner and two set points. These were saved, the second by a wicked drop shot from Sakkari. Bertens delivered a drop shot just as good to bring up set point number three. Saved again.  7-7.  An errant Greek return gave Bertens a fourth set point.  She hit a backhand long and 8-8.  A poor Bertens return produced set point #1 for Sakkari, and she pulled it out of the bag when Bertens missed everything with a forehand mishit.  7-6(8).

As in set one, the first three games of set two were service breaks, two to Sakkari who led 2-1, with serve to come. She held to love, and Bertens held easily as well, leaving Sakkari to serve at 3-2.  Three break points were saved, and another when serving at 4-3.  Sakkari cling on to the break advantage on each occasion, and left Bertens the task of serving at 3-5 to stay in the match.
Sakkari broke to love, and won, booking a quarter final spot 7-6(8) 6-3.   No defence of the title for Bertens.

- Monica Puig defeated Aryna Sabalenka (3) 6-2 7-5
- Danielle Collins (11) defeated Kaia Kanepi 7-6(1) 6-1
- Belinda Bencic (9) defeated Taylor Townsend 6-2 7-5
- Petra Martic (16) defeated Jessica Pegula 2-6 6-3 6-2
- Caroline Wozniacki (5) defeated Mihaela Buzărnescu (12) 6-4 3-6 6-3
- Madison Keys (8) defeated Jelena Ostapenko (10) 7-5 6-2
- Sloane Stephens (1) defeated Ajla Tomljanovic (14) 4-6 6-4 6-4

Quarter final match ups 

Sloane Stephens (1) v Madison Keys (8)
Monica Puig v Danielle Collins (11)
Belinda Bencic (9) v Petra Martic (16)
Caroline Wozniacki v Maria Sakkari (15)

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