It was a good day for the seeded players in Gstaad and Bucharest with the headline acts coming through their respective matches.
Annette Kontaveit, who is the third seed at the Gstaad Open, required almost two hours to book her place in the quarter-finals. Facing Russian qualifier Anna Kalinskaya, Kontaveit broke in the final game of the match to secure the hard-fought win.
“”I felt like I started off really well and then she got into the match more. It got really close from there,” Kontaveit told wtatennis.com after the match.
“She managed to serve well to win the second set. I got the break in the beginning of the third, but played a so-so service game to lose it. It was just holding serve from there.”
Awaiting the 21-year-old in the last eight will be Germany’s Carina Witthöft. The sixth seed recovered from a slow start to see off Rebecca Sramkova 2-6, 6-2, 6-2. World No.66 Witthöft is bidding to reach her first WTA final this week in Switzerland.
“I’ve played Witthoeft before but the conditions are different here and it’s a new match, so I don’t think it really matters.” Kontaveit said about the upcoming match.
The quarter-final clash will be the second meeting between the two players this year. At the Ricoh Open, the Estonian triumphed 6-3, 6-1.
Elsewhere at the tournament, Tamara Korpatsch progressed to her maiden WTA quarter-final with a three set win over Maria Sakkari. She will next play Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain.
Big names shine in Bucharest
At the Bucharest Open Anastasija Sevastova lead a trio of top seeds into the last eight. The Latvian top seed managed to save three out of four break points to see off Danka Kovinic 6-4, 6-4.
Top seed Anastasija Sevastova safely through to @BucharestOpen Quarterfinals!
Sees off Kovinic 6-4, 6-4! pic.twitter.com/PAF10A79DZ
— WTA (@WTA) 19 July 2017
Sevastova, who recently won the Mallorca Open, will play home player Ana Bogdan in the next round.
Third seed Julia Goerges fired ten aces during her 7-6(4), 6-3, dismissal of Aliaksandra Sasnovich. The former top-20 player is aiming to end her six-year title drought in the singles, last winning a title at the 2011 Stuttgart Open.
“It was a long and intense game. She played very well and I had to find the right pace and tactics against her,” Georges said at the end of her match
Carla Suarez Navarro also booked her place in the next round with a 6-3, 6-4, win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
.@CarlaSuarezNava advances to @BucharestOpen Quarterfinals!
Defeats Ruse 6-3, 6-4! pic.twitter.com/eKGF2mULed
— WTA (@WTA) 19 July 2017
