Google News Transylvania Open: Jasmine Paolini ousts Marta Kostyuk; home hopeful Ana Bogdan exits
by ABBEY JOHNSON
Jasmine Paolini upset sixth seed Marta Kostyuk in the first round of the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca on Monday. The Italian dropped the first set but came back to clinch a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 win after an hour and 56 minutes of play.
The Ukrainian won 75% of her first-serve points to Paolini’s 56% but struggled to win points off her second serve. While Paolini won 59% of her second-serve points, Kostyuk could win only 22%. Paolini went on to break Kostyuk a total of seven times while losing her serve on five occasions.
In the second round, Paolini will play Kostyuk’s compatriot, Dayana Yastremska. Yastremska defeated German lucky loser, Tamara Korpatsch, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 after two hours and 17 minutes of play.
Transylvania Open: Jule Niemeier moves along
Meanwhile, Korpatsch’s fellow German, Jule Niemeier caused an upset of her own, against third seed Ana Bogdan.
Niemeier won 7-6(5), 6-2 in an hour and 56 minutes. Niemeier won 75% of her first-serve points to the Romanian’s 59%. Both players, however, struggled to do well off their second serves. Niemeier won 38% of her second-serve points while Bogdan won 37%.
Niemeier saved three of the six break points she faced while converting five of the seven break-point chances that came her way on Bogdan’s serve. Niemeier’s next opponent will be a qualifier in either Olga Danilovic or Kamilla Rakhimova.
Eighth seed Anna Bondar advanced to the second round of the Romanian tournament. The Hungarian claimed a 6-4, 6-2 win over qualifier Elina Avanesyan in an hour and 14 minutes. Bondar will play either Oceane Dodin or Harriet Dart next.
Ysaline Bonaventure and Anna Blinkova also won their respective opening-round matches at the Transylvania Open. Bonaventure, who qualified for the main draw, defeated Varvara Gracheva 7-5, 7-5 while her fellow qualifier Blinkova came through a derby against another qualifier, Anastasia Zakharova, 6-1, 7-6(7).
Bonaventure will play either Eugenie Bouchard or second seed, Anhelina Kalinina. Blinkova awaits either fifth seed Magda Linette or Xinyu Wang. Photo Credit: Transylvania Open Twitter