Google News Hungarian Grand Prix: Yulia Putintseva moves into last-8 in quest of title repetition
by ABBEY JOHNSON
Yulia Putintseva reached the quarter-finals of the Hungarian Grand Prix on Thursday. The 2021 titlist at the WTA 250 event came from a set down to oust Brazil’s Laura Pigossi, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 in two hours and 16 minutes.
Putintseva, ranked 32nd in the world and seeded third here this week, won 70% of her first-serve points to Pigossi’s 51% and 53% of her second-serve points to the latter’s 50%. In terms of break points, Putintseva converted six break points on Pigossi’s serve while saving four of the seven break points she faced on hers.
Seeking a place in the semi-finals, Putintseva will play Lesia Tsurenko, who’d previously advanced to the quarters.
Hungarian Grand Prix: Aleksandra Krunic's ruthlessness
Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic brought a dominating end to sixth seed Shuai Zhang’s singles campaign in the Hungarian capital.
Krunic won their second-round match 6-1, 6-0 in merely 49 minutes. The 29-year-old won 76% of her first-serve points to the latter’s 40%. But the biggest stat that made the difference in the match’s proceedings was in the second-serve points won.
Krunic won a respectable 55% of her second-serve points and at the same time, went on to win 93% of points on her opponent’s second serve. Krunic also converted seven of the 12 break points that came her way on Zhang’s serve while saving one of the two break points she faced.
In fact, the only game that Zhang won in the match came courtesy of a break. Krunic will play Zhang’s fellow Chinese player, Xiyu Wang for a chance to reach the semis. Wang needed two tie-breakers and two hours and 45 minutes to beat Romanian Ana Bogdan, 7-6(2), 7-6(10).
Lastly, Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy clinched a place in the quarter-finals of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Cocciaretto beat Katerina Siniakova 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 in two hours and 47 minutes and will play Bernarda Pera next.