(Stuttgart) The American Coco Gauff earned her ticket to the quarter-finals of the Stuttgart tournament by defeating her compatriot Sachia Vickery in three sets of 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 on Wednesday.
Ranked 134e in the world, Vickery created 19 break chances, but she was only able to convert seven against the third racket in the world. Gauff committed 15 double faults during the match, but she erased a 4-2 deficit in the third set to finally win after two hours and 26 minutes of play.
Gauff, who received a first-round bye for this clay-court tournament, now awaits the winner of the duel between Zheng Qinwen (No. 7) and Marta Kostyuk.
Kostyuk defeated former champion Laura Siegemund in three sets of 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4 in their first-round duel. Siegemund triumphed in 2017.
Tunisian Ons Jabeur also had to work hard to defeat Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (1). Jabeur was a break behind in each of the last two rounds before savoring his victory.
Jabeur will now face Italian Jasmine Paolini in the second round.
In another second-round match on Wednesday, second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka reached the quarterfinals when her good friend Paula Badosa retired at 3-3 in the third set due to a back injury. leg.
Badosa called a medical timeout while leading 5-4 in the second set and returned to the game with her left leg taped.
“I feel so bad for her. I have no emotion right now,” Sabalenka said.
Sabalenka has made the last three finals in Stuttgart, but lost to Ashleigh Barty in 2021 and Iga Swiatek in 2022 and 2023.
Earlier in the day, Briton Emma Raducanu easily got the better of former world best player Angelique Kerber. She triumphed 6-2, 6-1 to secure a second-round duel against Linda Noskova.
Eight of the 10 best players in the world are present at this tournament.