Berlin | Azarenka topples Sakkari, as Zheng ousts Osaka

Tuesday in Berlin noticed Victoria Azarenka topple Maria Sakkari, Zheng Qinwen overcome Naomi Osaka, and Ons Jabeur’s opening match suspended in a single day on the ecotrans Girls Open.

It was actually laborious as a result of I received three or 4 match factors and she or he saved them very well. Naomi Osaka, she must be one of many biggest gamers: she has a powerful serve and hits laborious. For me, this win means so much and it’s by no means simple enjoying in opposition to her. Zheng Qinwen

Azarenka, a former World No 1 from Belarus, clinched a spot within the 2nd-round with a 6-4 6-2 win over Sakkari, the No 7 seed from Greece, after an hour and 33 minutes.

Now ranked 19, Azarenka, who was a semi-finalist right here in 2021, collected her 4th Prime 10 win of the 12 months, and maintained her dominance of Sakkari, having gained all 4 of their skilled outings.

By no means damaged within the match, Azarenka fended off 7 aces by Sakkari, and gained 80% of her personal first-serve factors, whereas additionally prevailing on 61% of the Greek’s second-serve factors.

“I feel I had good selection with my serve,” Azarenka mentioned later. “I felt like I utilized good strain on my return, preserve repeatedly creating alternatives within the first set. As soon as I broke, I felt like I actually stepped extra on that pedal and continued to use strain, and closed it out.”

Within the 2nd-round, Azarenka could have her first profession assembly with Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sonmez, a 22-year-old ranked 157 on the planet, who notched up her first profession tour-level win by defeating fortunate loser Arantxa Rus from the Netherlands on Monday.

The two-time Grand Slam champion remains to be in search of her first profession grass-court title, together with her finest end result at a grass-court occasion coming at Eastbourne, the place she made the ultimate again in 2010, however fell to Ekaterina Makarova from Russia.

For Ninth-ranked Sakkari, the defeat ends a run of excellent type on the Berlin grass, the place she reached the semi-finals of this occasion in every of the final 2 years.

© Inaki Esnaola/Getty Photos

Ons Jabeur, the No 8 seed from Tunisia, was the champion right here in 2022, and captured the opening set of her 1st-round encounter with Chinese language qualifier Wang Xinyu, earlier than play was suspended in a single day attributable to rain.

The World No 10 led by a double-break at 4-1 earlier than Fortieth-ranked Wang charged again to stage proceedings at 4-4, however Jabeur regained the break at 5-4 after her backhand return was netted by Wang, and the Tunisian then served out the set to like.

Whereas the gamers sat down on the changeover between units, the rain got here down tougher, and play was known as off for the day, that means that Czech teenager Linda Noskova, needed to wait till Wednesday to search out out if she would play Jabeur or Wang in spherical 2.

Earlier within the day, Noskova, ranked 28, picked up one other win over a former World No 1, ousting German wild-card hope Angelique Kerber, 7-6(4) 2-6 6-4, in her opener.

Of their first profession assembly, the 19-year-old battled previous the 3-time Grand Slam champion in an hour and 59 minutes.

“I began [on grass] mainly final 12 months,” Noskova mentioned. “I’m nonetheless, sort of, looking for the rhythm, and the bounces, and every little thing, however I feel I’m getting there, getting higher each day. I feel my serve, I can use it, it helps me so much. So I simply gotta do what I can do.”

Previous to this, Noskova had performed simply 4 tour-level matches on grass in her profession, and gained solely certainly one of them.

Kerber, nonetheless, has gained 3 grass-court titles in her storied profession, together with the 2018 title at Wimbledon, whereas the 36-year-old, who returned from maternity go away at the beginning of this season, has additionally reached 4 different grass-court finals, together with 2016 Wimbledon.

Noskova’s energy sport, although, was clicking in Tuesday’s decisive third set, the place she by no means confronted a break level and gained two-thirds of alternatives returning Kerber’s second supply.

The younger Czech continues her stable rise in 2024, having already shocked reigning World No 1 Iga Swiatek en path to her first Grand Slam quarter-final at this 12 months’s Australian Open.

Zheng Qinwen received previous Naomi Osaka in 3 units and can meet Katerina Siniakova in spherical 2

© Inaki Esnaola/Getty Photos

Earlier, Sixth-seeded Zheng Qinwen from China fired 23 aces to take down Japan’s Naomi Osaka, 6-4 3-6 6-3, probably the most in any match on the WTA tour since Canada’s Rebecca Marino struck 24 in opposition to France’s Caroline Garcia in 2022 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Zheng additionally saved 3 of 4 break factors, and took benefit of 30 unforced errors by the 4-time Grand Slam champion.

The previous World No 1 endured a slim grass-court loss for a second time in lower than per week, having bowed out of ‘s-Hertogenbosch to Canada’s Bianca Andreescu on Friday.

Nonetheless, Osaka continues to show to be one of many largest unseeded threats in any draw, however whereas she pushed Zheng to a 3rd set, the present Australian Open runner-up and No 6 seed served out her second win over the Japanese after 2 hours and 10 minutes on Steffi Graf Stadium.

“It was actually laborious as a result of I received three or 4 match factors and she or he saved them very well,” Zheng mentioned on court docket after the match. “Naomi Osaka, she must be one of many biggest gamers: she has a powerful serve and hits laborious. For me, this win means so much and it’s by no means simple enjoying in opposition to her.”

Their rivalry has an added twist as each have beforehand been coached by Wim Fissette, who labored with Zheng throughout her breakout 2023 season, solely to half methods with the Chinese language when Osaka returned from maternity go away final autumn.

Zheng bears no unwell will in direction of Fissette or Osaka, and proved it by defeating the latter on the Foro Italico final month.

“I do know she’s all the time actually powerful to beat, doesn’t matter what floor it’s,” Zheng mentioned in Rome. “She gained a whole lot of Grand Slam titles earlier than, and it’s not simple to come back again after being a mom. I’ve all the time had a whole lot of respect to gamers like this.

“I feel, in the present day, I attempted to provide my every little thing on court docket, and tried to combat. I’m actually happy with myself, and I additionally wish to say to Naomi that she did actually good as a result of not all gamers have this mentality to come back again as a mom.”

Whereas she usually struggles to attain a excessive first-serve proportion, the Chinese language placed on an impeccable serving efficiency in opposition to Osaka, hanging 7 aces within the opening set to place herself in entrance early on.

Osaka responded with some robust hitting of her personal, taking the lone break of the second set with a scintillating rally, and in the end levelling at a set apiece.

The decider got here right down to a single break, which Zheng snatched in a tough 4th sport, and she or he held on from there, at the same time as Osaka gamely saved 3 match factors on the match’s thrilling conclusion.

Putting 10 aces within the third set, Zheng clinched the win behind a well-struck forehand, jamming Osaka right into a closing error.

In all, Zheng hit 41 winners to 29 unforced errors, whereas Osaka ended the match with 20 winners to 30 miscues.

Awaiting the No 6 seed in spherical 2 is Czech qualifier and former WTA doubles No 1 Katerina Siniakova, who knocked out American Emma Navarro in straight units on Monday.

In different Day 2 outcomes, Ekaterina Alexandrova from Russia beat Beatriz Haddad Maia from Brazil, 6-4 6-4, and can face top-seeded Coco Gauff from the USA subsequent, whereas, in a battle of wild-cards, Croatia’s Donna Vekic was a1-6 6-1 6-3 winner over Jule Neimeier from Germany, and she is going to meet Jessica Pegula, the 4th-seeded American subsequent.