WTA Roundup: Unexpected Fanny Stollar Shocks Tatjana Maria in Budapest

 

Fifth-seeded Tatjana Maria from Germany experienced a surprise defeat in the second round of the Hungarian Grand Prix on Wednesday in Budapest. She was stunned by World No. 442 Fanny Stollar, a Hungarian player competing on her home turf. Stollar secured a hard-fought victory with a score of 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (6). During the match, she capitalized on six out of 16 break opportunities, with a crucial break occurring in the 12th game of the third set. This pivotal moment resulted in a tiebreak after Maria failed to serve out the match at 6-5.

In another upset, fourth-seeded Yulia Putintseva from Kazakhstan fell to the unseeded American Claire Liu, who claimed a 6-3, 7-6 (8) triumph. The match was marked by streaks, with Liu rallying to win the last two games of the first set, and Putintseva starting strong with a 5-0 lead in the second set. However, Liu fought back valiantly, taking six consecutive games to seize the lead before the set was ultimately decided through a tiebreak.

In other matches, eighth-seeded Anna Karolina Schmiedlova from Slovakia and Kaja Juvan from Slovenia secured victories on Wednesday.

Moving on to the 34 Palermo Ladies Open, China's second-seeded Qinwen Zheng defeated France's Diane Parry 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 in the second round in Italy. The match was a closely contested battle, lasting two hours and 48 minutes, with Zheng prevailing after a critical service break by Parry at 5-5 in the third set.

Seventh-seeded Emma Navarro from the United States also advanced with ease, claiming a dominant 6-2, 6-1 win over Italy's Camilla Rosatello, winning an impressive 85.3 percent of her first-serve points.

Additionally, Sara Sorribes Tormo from Spain emerged victorious with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 result against Italy's Nuria Brancaccio. In another match, France's Clara Burel defeated Spanish player Cristina Bucsa 6-2, 6-4 to move on to the next round.