Google News Hamburg European Open: Diana Shnaider & Bernarda Pera face-off for 2nd week in a row
by ABBEY JOHNSON
Diana Shnaider entered the quarter-finals of the Hamburg European Open on Tuesday. The teenager needed an hour and 26 minutes to upset fifth seed Julia Grabher of Austria 6-4, 6-2 in their second-round match. Shnaider had seven aces for the match and won 74% of her first-serve points despite putting in only 61% of her first serves.
Grabher put in 75% of her first serves but won 59% of her first-serve points. Shnaider lost her serve only once across the match but converted four break points on her higher-ranked opponent’s serve. In the second round, Shnaider will play third seed Bernarda Pera.
The American third seed won her second-round match against Kaia Kanepi 7-6(6), 6-1 in an hour and 29 minutes. Pera won 74% of her first-serve points to the Estonian’s 65% and 52% of her second-serve points to the latter’s 43%.
She saved four of the five break points she faced while converting three break points on Kanepi’s serve.
Hamburg European Open: Seeds fall, triumphs morph into quick losses
The quarter-final between Shnaider and Pera will be a rematch of their match in Budapest.
Last week, Shnaider had upset Pera, who was the top seed, in the first round of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Like in Hamburg this week, Pera was also the defending champion in the event played in the Hungarian capital city. The last second-round clash of the day, between Martina Trevisan and Camila Osorio saw the Italian prevail after an hour and 24 minutes of play.
Trevisan ousted the eighth seed from Colombia, 6-1, 6-3. Trevisan now awaits either Storm Hunter or Norma Noha Akugue. The Australian came from a set down in her first-round match against top seed Donna Vekic, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in an hour and 54 minutes.
The turnaround was disappointing for the Croatian, who just last week won the Hopman Cup with Borna Coric. Maria Timofeeva, who won in Budapest last week, also exited in the first round at the hands of seventh seed Arantxa Rus.
The Dutchwoman took two hours and 21 minutes to post a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 win over the 19-year-old. There were two further upsets at the Hamburg European Open first round. Local player Eva Lys claimed a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win over second seed Mayar Sherif.
Daria Saville took out fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, finalist at the Palermo Ladies Open last week, 6-0, 7-6(3) in their round-of-32 meeting.