Former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka secured her place in the ecotrans Ladies Open second round by defeating No.7 seed Maria Sakkari with a score of 6-4, 6-2 in Berlin. Azarenka, ranked World No.19, showed her dominance over Sakkari by winning all four of their professional encounters. The match lasted 1 hour and 33 minutes, during which Azarenka was able to fend off all of Sakkari’s seven aces and maintain a solid performance on her serve.
Azarenka expressed her satisfaction with her varied serve and consistent pressure on her return game, which allowed her to break Sakkari and close out the match. In the upcoming round, Azarenka will face qualifier Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey for the first time in her career. Sonmez, ranked World No.157, secured her first tour-level victory by defeating Arantxa Rus.
On the other hand, No.8 seed Ons Jabeur’s first-round match against qualifier Wang Xinyu was interrupted due to rain after Jabeur took the first set. Jabeur, the 2022 Berlin champion and World No.10, will resume her match against Wang to determine her opponent in the next round. Additionally, Czech teenager Linda Noskova claimed a significant victory over German Angelique Kerber in a three-set battle.
Noskova, at just 19 years old, displayed her prowess on grass despite limited experience on the surface. She highlighted her improvement and adaptability to the grass court conditions, emphasizing the importance of her serve in her game. The win against Kerber adds to Noskova’s growing success in 2024, following her breakthrough performance at the Australian Open earlier this year.
Overall, the ecotrans Ladies Open in Berlin continues to witness exciting matches and upsets, setting the stage for more thrilling encounters as the tournament progresses. Stay tuned for more updates and results as the top players compete for victory on the grass courts of Berlin.
