Former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka clinched a spot in the ecotrans Ladies Open second round with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over No.7 seed Maria Sakkari on Tuesday in Berlin.
World No.19 Azarenka, a semifinalist here in 2021, needed 1 hour and 33 minutes to dismiss Sakkari and collect her fourth Top 10 win of the year. Azarenka maintains her mastery over Sakkari in their rivalry, having won all four of their professional meetings.
Berlin: Draws | Schedule | Scores
Azarenka was never broken in the match, fending off seven aces by Sakkari in the process. Azarenka won 80 percent of her first-serve points, while also prevailing on 61 percent of Sakkari’s second-serve points.
In the second round, Azarenka will now have her first career meeting with qualifier Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey. Sonmez, a 22-year-old ranked World No.157, notched her first career tour-level win by defeating lucky loser Arantxa Rus on Monday.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Azarenka is still seeking the first grass-court title of her heavily decorated career. Azarenka’s best result at a grass-court event was a run to the Eastbourne final back in 2010, where she fell to Ekaterina Makarova.
For ninth-ranked Sakkari, the defeat halts a run of good form at the ecotrans Ladies Open. Sakkari reached the semifinals of this event in each of the last two years.
Noskova bests Kerber: Earlier on Tuesday, Czech teenager Linda Noskova picked up a win over another player who has reached the World No.1 ranking, ousting German hope Angelique Kerber 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-4 in the first round.
Highlights: Noskova def. Kerber
In their first career meeting, 19-year-old Noskova, ranked World No.28, battled past three-time Grand Slam champion Kerber in 1 hour and 59 minutes.
There was a stark disparity in grass-court experience coming into the clash. Noskova had played just four prior tour-level matches on grass in her career, winning only one of those.
By contrast, Kerber has won three grass-court titles throughout her storied career, including 2018 Wimbledon. The 36-year-old, who returned from maternity leave at the start of this season, has also reached four other grass-court finals, including 2016 Wimbledon.
All fight 👊
Noskova battles her way into the next round after defeating Kerber 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-4. #ecotransLadiesOpen pic.twitter.com/b8yBGwRXM2
— wta (@WTA) June 18, 2024
But the Noskova power game was clicking in Tuesday’s decisive third set, where she never faced a break point and won two-thirds of opportunities returning the Kerber second service.
Noskova continues her solid rise in 2024, having already shocked reigning World No.1 Iga Swiatek en route to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at this year’s Australian Open.
More to come…
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