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Frech stuns sixth-seed Andreeva, lucky loser Jabeur powers through

Frech stuns sixth-seed Andreeva, lucky loser Jabeur powers through

Gulf Today4 days ago

Poland's Magdalena Frech came from a set down to battle past world number seven Mirra Andreeva of Russia 2-6 7-5 6-0 on Monday, booking a place in the Berlin Open round of 16 and staging the upset of the tournament.
The 18-year-old sixth seed looked to be cruising to victory when she bagged the first set with an audacious backhand slice dropshot on her fourth set point against Frech.
The world number 25, however, was far from finished, breaking at the start of the second set with Andreeva losing her calm and hitting a ball high out of the court.
With Andreeva's composure rapidly eroding and her unforced error count shooting up, Frech levelled when the Russian teenager's slice forehand sailed long.
The Pole then powered past Andreeva with a bagel in the third, sealing her win when Andreeva sent another forehand wide.
It is the first time Andreeva has lost a deciding set with a 6-0 scoreline in her professional career, and it was Frech's second top ten win of her career.
Lucky loser Ons Jabeur, beaten on Sunday in the last qualifying round, made the most of her unexpected chance with a 7-6 6-1 win over American Caroline Dolehide.
Jabeur, a two-time Wimbledon finalist, looked comfortable on grass ahead of the season's third Grand Slam in London starting on June 30.
The Tunisian, who has slipped to 61st in the world, earned a win for only the second time in her last five tournaments, and will come up against fourth seed Jasmine Paolini.
World number nine Emma Navarro also advanced, with a comfortable 6-2 6-3 win over Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk.
Navarro broke her opponent three times, raced through the first set 6-2 in half an hour with Kostyuk's serve a source of constant concern.
The American broke her twice more to move 4-1 clear in the second set and wrapped up her win after 77 minutes when Kostyuk sent a forehand volley two metres past the baseline.
She will next play eighth seed Paula Badosa in the round of 16 after the Spaniard dispatched local hope Eva Lys 6-1 6-3 in 61 minutes.
Swiss underdog Rebeka Masarova also caused a minor upset, eliminating former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin of the United States 6-3 6-2 in just over an hour to set up a clash against world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the round of 16.
Reuters

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