WTA Spherical-up | Zheng pulls out of Ningbo, as Dart tumbles to Tauson in Osaka 

British No 2 Harriet Dart fell to Clara Tauson for the second time in 3 weeks in Osaka, whereas fortunate losers take over in China…

The participant I love is Hsieh Su-Wei. Although I am skinny, I can beat international gamers. I am aiming to play tennis like Hsieh, and I am making an attempt to develop into distinctive. I haven’t got any energy, so I attempt to compete by method,” she added. “By slicing, by drop-shots, by determining methods to beat energy. Aoi Ito

China | WTA 500 Ningbo Open

The withdrawal of seven gamers has turned the Ningbo Open right into a WTA 500 occasion with extra fortunate losers than qualifiers, prompting Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva try and fly again to safe an astonishing alternative. She was unsuccessful.

With a 28-player draw, by Wednesday, 25% of the sector was represented by fortunate losers, surpassing the 6 qualifiers that had earlier made their method by means of.

The likes of Jasmine Paolini and Emma Navarro had beforehand pulled out of the match, earlier than dwelling favorite Zheng Qinwen turned the seventh competitor to withdraw following her semi-final and runner-up showings at Beijing and Wuhan.

Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova is the very best seed left within the draw at No 4 however has but to play a match, whereas Fifth-seeded Daria Kasatkina rallied previous the Czech’s former doubles accomplice, Katerina Siniakova, 1-6 6-3 6-2, to arrange a quarter-final conflict with Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan.

Putintseva defeated German fortunate loser Ella Seidel, 6-4 6-4, to succeed in her sixth quarter-final of 2024, and her third at WTA 500 degree or above.

After rain delays, the 1st-round of matches lastly was accomplished, with Czech Karolina Muchova opening her marketing campaign with a 6-3 7-5 win over qualifier Olivia Gadecki from Australia, coming from 1-3 down within the second set, and sealing her second match level in a 7-deuce closing sport.

Muchova ought to then have lined up in opposition to 2nd-seeded Zheng, however as an alternative she faces fortunate loser, Jaqueline Cristian from Romania, who obtained a bye into spherical 2.

Additionally into the 2nd-round is China’s Yuan Yue, who wanted 2 days to defeat qualifier Ajla Tomljanovic from Australia, 6-4 6-2, in a match that was delayed in a single day following completion of the primary set.

For a spot within the quarters, Yuan performs Russian Anna Kalinskaya, the seventh seed, who was a 3-6 6-3 6-4 winner over Aussie qualifier Priscilla Hon.

No 8 seed Paula Badosa improved to 2-1 in opposition to China’s Wang Xiyu after defeating the wild-card, 6-7(4) 6-1 6-2, to advance to her sixth Final 8 look of 2024.

The Spaniard will face both sixth seed Beatriz Haddad Maia from Brazil or British No 1 Katie Boulter within the quarter-finals who play on Thursday.

Russia’s Mirra Andreeva got here from 1-3 down within the second set to get previous fortunate loser Tamara Korpatsch from Germany, 6-0 6-4.

The 17-year outdated scored her third win over Korpatsch in 3 conferences, and advances to her eighth quarter-final of the season.

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Osaka | WTA 250 Kinoshita Group Japan Open

Denmark’s Clara Tauson notched her second defeat of British No 3 Harriet Dart in a 3-week span on Wednesday, posting a 6-3 6-2 win within the 2nd-round on Wednesday on the Utsubo Tennis Middle in Osaka.

This was the Dane’s sixth win in her final 7 matches on tour, having additionally reached the ultimate of the WTA 125K occasion in Hong Kong earlier this month.

The 21-year outdated Dane, ranked 63, subsequent will face the winner of the match between Frenchwoman Diane Parry, the No 7 seed, and Belgian Greet Minnen.

Aoi Ito, a 20-year-old Japanese qualifier, has delivered two spectacular upsets to e book her place in her first tour-level quarter-final, overturning a 2-5 third-set deficit to stun former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin from the USA, and backing that up with a 6-4 6-3 win over Italy’s No 8 seed Elisabetta Cocciaretto, the primary High 50 victory of her profession.

Ito is now on a 9-match profitable streak, following her ITF W50 title in Nanao 3 weeks in the past.

Her sport is an unorthodox mixture of nonchalant forehand slices, sneak internet assaults with adjustments of velocity and path that catch her opponents off guard.

In opposition to Kenin, she chipped forehands deep within the court docket then, with out warning and utilizing the identical movement, pulled off a drop-shot winner.

Cocciaretto’s frustration at getting tied up in Ito’s net of spins was seen all through the match.

“The participant I love is Hsieh Su-Wei,” Ito mentioned. “Although I’m skinny, I can beat international gamers. I’m aiming to play tennis like Hsieh, and I’m making an attempt to develop into distinctive.

“I don’t have any energy, so I attempt to compete by method,” she added. “By slicing, by drop-shots, by determining methods to beat energy.”

Ito advances to satisfy Ella Lys, a fellow qualifier from Germany, who battled previous American McCartney Kessler, 7-6(7) 3-6 7-5.

Lys was twice down a break within the third set earlier than sealing the 2-hour and 40-minute win.

Dutch qualifier Suzan Lamens ousted Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti, 6-3 6-4, to advance to her 2nd profession tour-level quarter-final, having already reached the Final 8 in Budapest earlier this yr.

20-year-old qualifier Aoi Ito has upset each Sofia Kenin and Elisabetta Cocciaretto to succeed in her first WTA quarter-final in Osaka

WTAtennis.com