In a surprising turn of events, Veronika Kudermetova, seeded eighth, managed to defeat the top-seeded Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open. The match ended with a final score of 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 in favor of Kudermetova. This victory marked Kudermetova’s first career win against Swiatek, after five previous attempts. Kudermetova, who is currently ranked 19th, has advanced to her sixth semifinal this year. In the next round, she will be facing fellow Russian player, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who secured her spot in the semis with a win against Ekaterina Alexandrova (6-2, 7-5).
Kudermetova expressed her happiness after the match, stating, “I tried to just believe that I can beat her. Today it happened. I’m really happy that I managed to switch [the head-to-head] and win one match.”
Another significant match in the tournament saw Jessica Pegula, the second seed, dominate her quarterfinal against sixth-seeded Daria Kasatkina. Pegula secured an easy victory with a score of 6-1, 6-0 in just 59 minutes. This win sends Pegula into her seventh semifinal appearance this year. She is scheduled to face fourth-seeded Maria Sakkari in the next round. Notably, Sakkari has won five out of their previous eight encounters.
In a thrilling match, top-seeded Ons Jabeur managed to overcome a midmatch stumble to secure a spot in the final of the Ningbo Open. Jabeur defeated Nadia Podoroska with a final score of 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. This victory positions Jabeur for a chance to claim her fifth career title. In the final, she will be facing Diana Shnaider, a 19-year-old Russian player who defeated Linda Fruhvirtova (6-4, 6-1) to reach her first tour-level final.
Jabeur’s match took an unexpected turn when she stumbled during an attempt at a backhand winner in the second set. Her movement become visibly limited, resulting in Podoroska winning the next six games and leveling the match. However, after a medical timeout following the second set, Jabeur regained her form and managed to secure a place in the final.
In the Astana Open, fourth-seeded Jiri Lehecka advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Egor Gerasimov with a score of 6-2, 7-6 (3). Additionally, sixth-seeded Adrian Mannarino outlasted Alibek Kachmazov with a score of 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, while Hamad Medjedovic beat Alexander Shevchenko 6-4, 6-4 to also secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
The first-round matches in the Astana Open saw fourth-seeded Sebastian Korda emerge victorious against Alexei Popyrin with a score of 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-4. Another notable match saw Sebastian Ofner defeating Marton Fucsovics with a score of 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.
