HOME nation competitors were ousted at the 2021 WTA Tour Winners Open in Clu-Napoca, Romania with the first lot of Round of 16 matches completed. Most had to back up after a big day the day before, with the four competed matches all over relatively quickly. Both Romanian representatives in third Ana Bogdan, and unseeded Jaqueline Cristian both bowed out in almost-identical ways.

Bogdan suffered an upset defeat at the hands of qualifier and world number 268, Aleksandra Krunic. The 28-year-old Serbian is more of a doubles player but has the one singles title to her name – 2018 at ‘s-Hertogenbosch – and holds a 15-10 win-loss record in 2021 coming into the event. Standing at just 163cm, Krunic was able to make more of her service games, only broken once and winning 77.8 and 52 per cent of her first and second service points, while Bogdan won just 55.2 and 50 per cent, and saved just one of five break point opportunities in the loss.

Meanwhile Cristian fell to second seed Andrea Petkovic, with the German getting up in a relatively straight forward 6-4 6-3 result, though it went for 97 minutes. Petkovic is the highest remaining player in the draw, and will take on little known Australian Sione Mendez who is ranked 269th in the world.

The 22-year-old was on debut at the Winners Open, earning her place in the main draw and toppling 210th in the world, Jana Fett. Though she had to earn that win, Mendez moved through easily against former Top 30 player Lesia Tsurenko following her retirement seven games into the match. The other Round of 16 match was Slovakian Anna Karolina Schmiedlova shaking off Slovenian Kaja Juvan after a first set tiebreaker to storm to a 7-6 6-0 win and set up a clash with Krunic.

Looking at the Silicon Valley Classic, it was a mixed bag for Croatian fans, as sixth seed Petra Martic bowed out of the event, though rising talent Ana Konjuh advanced through to the quarter finals. Martic suffered a tight loss to Pole Magda Linette 7-5 7-6, as Konjuh took down ninth seeded American Alison Riske in a comfortable 6-1 6-4 victory. The Croatian moved to a 13-8 record this season on the WTA Tour with her straight sets win, in a match that lasted 73 minutes as Konjuh won 79.4 and 61.1 per cent of her first and second service points.

In the other results, it was a further mixed bag for the seeds with fourth seed Russian Daria Kasatkina coming from behind to overpower Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia in three sets 3-6 7-5 6-3, while third seed American Madison Keys fell to China’s Zhang Shuai 7-5 7-6 in the late game.

MUBADALA SILICON VALLEY CLASSIC ROUND OF 16 RESULTS:

Zhang Shuai (CHN) defeated [3] Madison Keys (USA) 7-5 7-6
[4] Daria Kasatkina (RUS) defeated Caroline Garcia (FRA) 3-6 7-5 6-3
Magda Linette (POL) defeated [6] Petra Martic (CRO) 7-5 7-6
Ana Konjuh (CRO) defeated [9] Alison Riske (USA) 6-1 6-4

WINNERS CIRCLE OPEN ROUND OF 16 RESULTS:

[2] Andrea Petkovic (GER) defeated Jaqueline Cristian (ROU) 6-4 6-3
[Q] Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) defeated [3] Ana Bogdan (ROU) 6-3 6-3
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) defeated Kaja Juvan (SLO) 7-6 6-0
Seone Mendez (AUS) defeated Leisa Tsurenko (UKR) 4-3 RET

Picture credit: USTA