Day 3: Sasnovich’s streak continues with 5th straight win at Palermo Open

The Palermo Ladies Open continued on today with the first half of the Round of 16. Qualifier Sasnovich continued her win streak and Sara Errani toughed out yet another three-set victory.

Fiona Ferro kicked off Day 3 action with a resounding upset win over 8th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova to reach her 5th career quarterfinal on clay. After defeating Nadia Podoroska 6-2, 6-1 in the tournament’s shortest match (one-hour, seven minutes), she kept her game at a high level and took down her opponent in straight sets.

It wasn’t the prettiest win, however. Ferro struggled to start the match, losing the opening two games despite having a break opportunity in the first game and a 40-love advantage in the second. She quickly reversed course and evened the match at 2-all. From there, she didn’t face a break point for the rest of the set. She was effective on her first serve, winning 31-of-40 points for the set.

Alexandrova did very well to stay in the match and saved three break points as the two engaged in 7 straight holds of serve. Two of her saves came in a 6-deuce game, where she was eventually able to take the game. After a quick hold by Ferro, Alexandrova finally cracked and was broken to give the Frenchwoman a 6-5 lead in the set. Ferro quickly finished off the set, taking it on her first opportunity at 40-30.

The second set’s final score wasn’t close to what actually transpired. A 6-2 final score might seem like a comfortable Ferro win, but in actuality, it was anything but. The set took 46 minutes and consisted of 13 break point opportunities (6 for Ferro, 7 for Alexandrova). Executing on those points, however, was the key difference to the set and was the main reason for Ferro’s win. She converted on 3 of her six chances whereas Alexandrova struggled to gain the edge on Ferro’s serve, ending the set with only one break.

Ferro saved two break points in the final game of the match and won it on her second match point.

Match of the Day

In her fifth match in as many days, Aliaksandra Sasnovich has proved why she belongs among the best just as she was at the end of 2019. She looked virtually unstoppable in her 6-0, 6-2 victory over Jasmine Paolini. She faced some struggles throughout both sets but showed her grittiness to power through, saving all eight of the break points she faced in comparison to just 1-of-6 by Paolini.

Sasnovich opened the match well, breaking the Italian at 30-40. The key point of the set came in the following game; a three deuce game saw the qualifier face two break points. The first came at 30-40, where she played two beautiful backhands in succession to bring the game to deuce. Te first ad-point put Sasnovich down another break point, which she was quickly able to save, as well. A perfectly-timed drop shot on the third deuce and a quick game point gave her the game. Shortly following was the first set after a pinpoint first serve that Paolini pushed wide with a backhand.

Sasnovich’s touch was on full display during the match as she played a flurry of drop shots and skidding slices that Paolini had little answer for. She built up a 4-1 lead in the second set before engaging in a gargantuan nine-deuce game where she saved all five of the break points she faced. She pushed Paolini around the court, taking the wind out of her sails as the Belarusian finally took the game on her fourth game point.

At 5-1, the match was ultimately decided from that point on. A quick hold from Paolini did little to extend the match; Sasnovich took the match on her third match point with an impressive display of crosscourt groundstrokes, sealing the deal with a forehand winner.

Sasnovich will face top-seeded Petra Martic or fellow qualifier, Liudmilla Samsonova, in the quarterfinals.

"“I’m ready for everyone,” she said following her win. “I only prefer to play the winner!”"

Other notable results

Perhaps the grittiest player in the tournament, Sara Errani’s second marathon match win in a row should not be discounted. This time over Kristyna Pliskova, Errani looked much more in control in comparison to her first-round match on Monday.

After losing the opening thirteen points, she finally settled in and tried to get as much momentum possible. At 1-5 down, she began a slight comeback, which included fighting off three set points in a three-deuce game that she ultimately held to bring the match to 2-5. She saved yet another set point and quickly broke to get the match ever-closer to even. Pliskova finally closed the deal on her sixth set point, taking control of the weak Errani serve to take the first set.

It was the last time Pliskova had any momentum in the match. Errani’s touch with her drop shots was too much for her to handle, and five surprising holds in a row from the Italian turned the match to even as Errani took the match to a third set after winning her second set point.

The third set was slightly more competitive but was still in Errani’s control. Her toughness to survive through yet another long match was continuing to be on display; she was able to break Pliskova three times in the set, including on match point at 5-3.

Errani is showing her true vintage form; her toughness, combined with her signature slice/drop shot combination has proved to become a formidable force. The two-time Palermo champion will face Fiona Ferro in the quarterfinals as she looks to add a third title to the list.

Day 3 – Full match results

Fiona Ferro def. (8) Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-5, 6-2

Aliaksandra Sasnovich def. Jasmine Paolini 6-0, 6-2

Sara Errani def. Kristyna Pliskova 3-6, 6-4, 6-3

Elisabetta Cocciaretto def. (6) Donna Vekic 6-2, 6-4

Day 4 (Round of 16) Match Schedule – August 6th

*All matches on Centre Court*

4 pm CEST: (4) Annett Kontaveit vs Laura Siegemund

5:15 pm CEST: (1) Petra Martic vs Liudmilla Samsonova

6:30 pm CEST: Camilla Giorgi vs Kaja Juvan

7:45 pm CEST: (7) Dayana Yastremska vs Oceane Dodin