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Greet Minnen (WTA 68) qualified for the quarter-finals of the WTA 250 tournament in Guangzhou, China (hard/259,303 dollars) on Wednesday. In the second round, the Kempen won in three long sets against the British qualifier Harriet Dart (WTA 155). The score was 7-6 (9/7), 6-7 (5/7) and 6-4 after a battle of attrition lasting three hours and eighteen minutes.
“Now I’m tired,” Minnen puffed after the game. “It was an exciting match in which we both had to push ourselves to the limit. The conditions weren’t too good either. It was very hot, which made me sweat a lot. The most important thing was to persevere and keep fighting for every point. I am very happy and proud that I came out as the winner.”
Minnen is the only Belgian tennis player who has moved to distant Guanghzhou, but does not regret that choice. “This is my first time playing in China and so far I don’t regret coming here. The people here are friendly and the infrastructure is top notch. The courses also play fast, which suits my playing style.”
Now versus Italian
To advance to the semi-finals, Minnen must get past 24-year-old Italian fourth seed Lucia Bronzetti (WTA 60) on Thursday, against whom she has never played in the past.
“Bronzetti is a very good player, very solid. She is a bit of an all-rounder and moves well on the track. It will be a difficult match. It will be a matter of recovering as best as possible from today and appearing on the track as fresh as possible tomorrow,” said Minnen.