ALMOST a full day’s play was completed across both WTA Tour tournaments in Gdynia and Palermo, with eight of the nine total matches finding a result. In Poland, the Round of 32 was knocked over with a couple of contrasting results, whilst another two Round of 16 winners advanced through to the quarter finals.

In the two first round matches in Poland, Viktoria Kuzmova needed two hours and 33 minutes, and three sets, to account for seventh seed Russian, Varvara Gracheva. The Slovakian was engaged in a long battle, with not much between the pair before advancing 6-4 6-7 7-5. By contrast, the other Round of 32 match was done and dusted in just 61 minutes as Belgian Maryna Zanevska rolled United States’ lucky loser Jamie Loeb, 6-2 6-0 to advance through to the final eight.

In another topsy-turvy clash, the two Anna’s did battle in their Round of 16 clash, with Hungarian Anna Bondar continuing her streak from getting through qualifying, to upset Slovakian Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Despite a tight second set tiebreaker loss, the Hungarian won the first and third sets easily to post a 6-2 6-7 6-1 win in two hours and 23 minutes. The other completed Round of 16 match in Poland was German Tamara Korpatsch‘s straight sets dismissal of lucky loser and home nation competitor Weronika Falkowska, 7-5 6-1 in one hour and 25 minutes.

The final match of the day was between 10th seed Romanian Irina Bara and unseeded Slovakian Kristina Kucova. With the game delicately poised, Bara held a break on Kucova in the deciding third set after both players had claimed a set earlier in the match. Rain suspended the clash two hours and 34 minutes in, with Bara holding a 6-3 5-7 4-2 lead.

In Palermo, there was a real mix of winners as Romanian qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse did not even need to take the court to walkover third seed Swiss talent Jil Teichmann. Retiring due to injury pre-game, Teichmann exited the tournament and the qualifier was gifted a quarter finals spot. Another one-sided game on the scoresheet but not in reality was Italian wildcard Lucia Bronzetti‘s straight sets win over United States’ Grace Min. Whilst the score read 6-3 6-1 and looked like a regulation victory, Min put up a real fight over two hours and two minutes, with Bronzetti coming up trumps and able to close out the match with crucial point wins. In the late match of the day, Romanian Jaqueline Cristian dominated the opening set against China’s Qinwen Zheng, and went on to post a 6-1 6-4 victory in one hour and 26 minutes.

PALERMO LADIES OPEN ROUND OF 16 RESULTS:

[Q] Elena-Gabriela Ruse (ROU) defeated [3] Jil Teichmann (SUI) W/O
[5] Oceane Dodin (FRA) defeated Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS) 7-6 6-4
[WC] Lucia Bronzetti (ITA) defeated Grace Min (USA) 6-3 6-1
Jaqueline Cristian (ROU) defeated [Q] Qinwen Zheng (CHN) 6-1 ??

POLAND OPEN ROUND OF 16 RESULTS:

Tamara Korpatsch (GER) defeated [LL] Weronika Falkowska (POL) 7-5 6-1
[Q] Anna Bondar (HUN) defeated Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) 6-2 6-7 6-1
[10] Irina Bara (ROU) leads Kristina Kucova (SVK) 6-3 5-7 4-2 SUS

POLAND OPEN ROUND OF 32 RESULTS:

Viktoria Kuzmova (SVK) defeated [7] Varvara Gracheva (RUS) 6-4 6-7 7-5
Maryna Zanevska (BEL) defeated [LL] Jamie Loeb (USA) 6-2 6-0

Picture credit: John Morris