Elise Mertens. — © AFP
Elise Mertens (WTA 29) qualified for the second round of the WTA 1,000 tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico (hard/2,788,468 dollars) on Sunday at the expense of Yanina Wickmayer (WTA 72). Mertens won in two sets 7-6 (7/4) and 6-2 after 1 hour and 49 minutes.
Bron: BELGIAN
It was the first match on the WTA Tour between 27-year-old Mertens, the thirteenth seed, and 33-year-old Wickmayer. Mertens will face Canadian Leylah Fernandez (WTA 74), a former finalist at the 2021 US Open (where she lost to Emma Raducanu) in the 1/8th finals. She was too strong for the American qualifier Asia Muhammad (WTA 351) with 6-1 and 6-3.
Mertens already played against the 21-year-old Fernandez once. In the first round of the Australian Open 2021, Hamont easily won 6-1 and 6-3. The Tunisian Ons Jabeur (WTA 7) is the first seed in Guadalajara. American Jessica Pegula won the tournament last year, but she will not defend her title.
Elise Mertens and Yanina Wickmayer will also compete in the doubles. Mertens is the first seed with the Australian Storm Hunter. They are directly qualified for the second round (1/8th finals). Yanina Wickmayer forms a duo with the American Alycia Parks. Their opponents in the first round are Kazakh Anna Danilina and China’s Zhaoxuan Yang.
Wickmayer had to give up. — © AFP
