Marta Kostyuk continues her good season in Cluj
Following a year during which she reached her highest ranking so far (WTA 54) and entered last 16 in Roland Garros – with a win over Muguruza –, the Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk has moved into QF in Transylvania Open. No. 6 seed ousted German Mona Barthel after a match that she almost entirely controlled.
This is Kostyuk’s 4th quarterfinal this season, after Abu Dhabi (WTA 500), Istanbul (WTA 250) and Chicago (WTA 250). She will play against no. 3 seed Emma Raducanu for a place in the semifinals. This is going to be their first ever encounter.
Rebecca Peterson holds off Irina Bara
Swedish Rebecca Peterson moved past Romanian Irina Bara with a convincing win, 6-0, 6-3, after only 72 minutes. Peterson has come to Cluj in a great form, proof being the two recent semifinals she reached, in Nur-Sultan and Chicago, respectively, plus an ITF title in Rancho Santa Fe. She will face Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko for a place in TO’s semifinals.
Emma Răducanu reaches her first WTA quarterfinal
Due to her second consecutive win in Cluj, 6-3, 6-4 against Romanian Ana Bogdan, Emma Raducanu has reached quarterfinals in Transylvania Open. This is her first WTA quarterfinal after playing five WTA tournaments.
Simona Halep overcomes back pains, surpasses Gracheva
No. 1 seed Simona Halep defeated Russian Varvara Gracheva despite having acute back pains, requiring medical treatment after first set. It was 6-4, 6-2 for the double Grand Slam winner, but the match was truly difficult for her. Once again, Halep found a way to overcome a complicate situation, even though, as she confessed after the match, she couldn’t bend and not even move too much.
This is Simona’s 5th quarterfinal this year, after Gippsland Trophy, Australian Open, Stuttgart and Moscow. Her QF match against fellow Romanian Jaqueline Cristian is their first encounter so far.
Anett Kontaveit’s win streak reaches seven matches
No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit has passed an important test in TO’s second round, considering she came to Cluj trying to get the last ticket for WTA Finals in Guadalajara. She moves to QF after a solid win, 6-3, 6-4 against Alison Van Uytvanck, who is one of the best female players on hard indoor (she recently won in Astana on this surface).
After this win, the Estonian’s win streak reaches seven matches (last week she won in Moscow). For a place in TO’s semifinals, Kontaveit will face no. 8 seed Anhelina Kalinina, in their first ever official encounter.
