Sixth-seeded Qinwen Zheng of China delivered a remarkable performance, firing 23 aces to defeat Japan’s Naomi Osaka 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 on Tuesday in the first round of the ecotrans Ladies Open in Berlin. Zheng’s 23 aces are the highest in a WTA match since Rebecca Marino of Canada hit 24 against Caroline Garcia in 2022. Zheng also saved three of four break points and capitalized on 30 unforced errors by the four-time Grand Slam champion.
Rain interrupted the tournament, but not before Victoria Azarenka of Belarus ousted No. 7 seed Maria Sakkari of Greece with a 6-4, 6-2 victory. Other players advancing to the second round included Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova and Ekaterina Alexandrova, Czech Linda Noskova, and Croatia’s Donna Vekic.
Elise Mertens Defeats Caroline Wozniacki in Birmingham
Caroline Wozniacki’s first match on grass since 2019 ended in a 6-4, 6-1 defeat to No. 5 seed Elise Mertens of Belgium at the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham, England. The former World No. 1 from Denmark, returning from maternity leave, played for one hour and 31 minutes. Mertens struck seven aces and faced only one break point throughout the match.
No. 2 seed Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic overcame Australia’s Daria Saville 6-1, 7-6 (5), while Czech No. 8 seed Marie Bouzkova edged out England’s Heather Watson 3-6, 6-4, 7-5. No. 4 seed Katie Boulter of England was forced to retire after losing the first set 6-3 to Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina. Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan, Diana Shnaider of Russia, England’s Harriet Dart, and Caroline Dolehide also moved on to the next round.
