Top seed Martic survives red-hot Sasnovich, advances to Palermo Semis

Day 5 of the Palermo Ladies Open saw top seed, Petra Martic, survive the red-hot Sasnovich, as well as Fiona Ferro’s 15th victory in a row.

#PL20 Match of the Day

It’s difficult to lead off any day of the tournament, but Petra Martic and Aliaksandra Sasnovich, the emerging tournament favorites, were at the top of their games in today’s first match. The pair began the match with a masterclass on serve, holding a combined eight times. Sasnovich was the only player to hold a break point during that span but wasn’t able to convert either of her opportunities.

Sasnovich finally broke through on her third break point chance and took the lead 5-4. Her momentum quickly diminished as top-seeded Martic raced out to a 0-40 advantage in the very next game. Sasnovich was able to get one point back but didn’t have enough in the tank as the set moved to 5-all. The tables turned for the third straight game as Sasnovich pounced on the Martic serve to give herself two break point chances. She lost them both but had a third after the first deuce. Martic again came up clutch and ultimately held following the second deuce.

Sasnovich wasn’t going anywhere. After getting out of a love-30 hole at 5-6, she roped two incredible down-the-line winner to get back to 30-all. She saved a set point and ultimately held to force a tiebreak. Martic ultimately took the tiebreak in a tight 7-5 win. Sasnovich looked very solid despite losing the set and had a great serving performance to build on from that point.

The second set got away from the World #69, however. Martic jumped out to 4-1 lead and converted 2-3 break points. Sasnovich, on the other hand, failed to gain a single break opportunity up to that point. It isn’t the size of the dog but the size of the fight, and Sasnovich showed exactly that. She won 4 of the next 5 games to bring the match to 5-all, which peaked with a break at 4-5 where she saved 3 match points in the process.

Sasnovich’s momentum halted at 5-all as Martic shot out to 15-40 and converted her first of two break chances. Her second try at closing out the match went just as it did at 5-4:  A Sasnovich break. This time much less competitive, the match was headed to another tiebreak to decide whether or not there’d be a victor after just two sets.

The first seven points were extremely closed but showed signs of what to come. Sasnovich’s three groundstroke errors gave Martic three of her first four points, and Sasnovich’s mini-break at 4-2 was the last point she’d win. Martic sealed the deal at 6-3 to take the match 7-6(5), 7-6(3).

This was a top-tier bout by the tournament’s two best players. It felt like a final and, if not for an unlucky draw, we would’ve likely seen these two battle it out for the Palermo trophy. Sasnovich’s premiere performance this past week will surely earn her a spot in a main draw at her next major. Despite the end result, she’s going to be a formidable force in the future.

Other notable results

1. Fiona Ferro won her 15th consecutive match on clay, dating back to July’s Challenge Elite FFT Exhibition. This time over Sara Errani, she simply overpowered the gritty Italian 6-4, 6-1 in just under an hour and a half match time. She’s the only remaining player that hasn’t needed a third set in her three matches and is a legitimate threat to win the tournament.
2. After fighting off a three-setter against Laura Siegemund yesterday, 4th-seeded Anett Kontaveit took out Elisabetta Cocciaretto in a comfortable three sets. Kontaveit moves onto the semifinals while Cocciaretto dream week finally comes to an end.
3. Fan favorite Camilla Giorgi came back from a set down to extend her stay and move on to the semifinals. After losing the first set 6-4 to 7th-ranked Dayana Yastremska, she stormed back to take the final two sets 7-6 (5), 6-3.

Day 5 – Full match results

(1) Petra Martic def.  Aliaksandra Sasnovich 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3)

Fiona Ferro def. Sara Errani 6-4, 6-1

(4) Annett Kontaveit def. Elisabetta Cocciarretto 6-1, 4-6, 6-1

Camilla Giorgi def. (7) Dayana Yastremska 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3

Day 6 (Semifinals) Match Schedule – August 8th

*All matches on Centre Court*

5 pm CEST: (1) Petra Martic vs (4) Anett Kontaveit

6:15 pm CEST: Fiona Ferro vs Camilla Giorgi