TOP seed Elina Svitolina is out of the Ostrava Open with her season seemingly now over on a low note, going down to Greek sensation, Maria Sakkari in straight sets. With just one international tournament remaining in the year on the WTA Tour, Svitolina looks to have ended her season with the second round exit as Sakkari booked her spot in the quarter finals, 6-3 6-3.

Sakkari hit six aces to one and dominated her serve, only dropping five of her 29 first serve points at 83 per cent effectiveness. Despite this, the Ukrainian still made the most of her chances, breaking twice from three opportunities, but it was Sakkari who really tightened the screws, breaking five times to ensure she was able to get away with a straights sets win in an hour and 16 minutes.

The result was one of three second round matches on the day, as the other two featured a seed battling a qualifier. The upset of the tournament so far has to go to Spanish up and comer, Sara Sorribes Tormo with the qualifer ending the good form of eighth seed Estonian Anett Kontaveit. The world number 73 downed her 22nd ranked opponent 6-1 6-4 in an hour and 27 minutes to advance to the quarter finals in a shock result. Sorribes Tormo battled away on serve to break four times to one, flying out of the blocks early and taking control and being much more reliable on serve. She won 69 and 57 per cent of her first and second serves off a 67 per cent efficiency, while Kontaveit was just 47 and 53 per cent off 68 per cent.

Sorribes Tormo now awaits the winner of third seed Aryna Sabalenka and United States’ young gun Coco Gauff in quarter finals. The other second round match completed was the in-form and revitalised Victoria Azarenka who toppled Czech qualifier Barbora Krejicova after a slow start. Surprised out of the blocks early, Azarenka managed to peg back her opponent to win in three sets, 2-6 6-2 6-1 in two hours and 13 minutes. She served six aces and was able to magnificently limit the damage on serve, with the only two breaks against her coming in the first set. In total she saved a whopping 14 of 16 break points, whilst capitalising on four of six against Krejicikova who could consider herself unlucky not to win.

Now the fourth seed could face one of seventh seed Elise Mertens or another Czech in Karolina Muchova who face off tomorrow. Whilst Muchova booked her place in the second round yesterday, it was Mertens who easily breezed past United States’ teenager Amanda Anisimova. Mertens showed her extra experience against the world number 30 with the Belgian triumphing 6-2 6-3 in an hour and 13 minutes. Her 2020 year has been sensational with a 28-11 record and that continued with an impressive second round win in Ostrava. She won 76 per cent of her first serve points off a 70 per cent clip, whilst Anisimova struggled by comparison with just 57 per cent won off 73 per cent efficiency.

Mertens also took her chances when they came, breaking four times from nine chances during the match, whilst Anisimova had five chances but could not convert any into breaks. She finishes the season ranked 30th in the world at this point. One player who could be moving into the top 30 with a good run is former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko who smashed fifth seed Croatian Petra Martic 6-3 6-1 in the second round. Ostapenko is known to be a giant-killer in events and she did it again in Ostrava, moving through to the last eighth to defeat Martic for the first time in three attempts. The match lasted just 58 minutes but a 78 per cent efficiency off her first serve – compared to Martic’s 53 per cent – was the difference between the players, as well as five breaks from six opportunities and saving seven of eight of Martic’s chances. Ostapenko now takes on Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur for a chance to face Sakkari in the quarter finals.

Picture: Jimmie48/WTA