By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday August 6, 2020
The quarter-finals are set at the Ladies Palermo Open.
Five months after the coronavirus pandemic put the kibosh on the 2020 season, we head into the weekend with eight players in contention for the crown in Italy, including top-seeded Petra Martic.
Martic had a difficult time on Thursday but eventually pulled through against Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova 5-7 6-4 6-2.
The Croatian says she was on the back foot against the hard-hitting Russian.
“The struggle was real out there today,” Martic said in a post-match video press conference. “From the first point, I started off not feeling my game and she was really in such a good rhythm.”
Two other seeds pulled through on Thursday to join Martic. Fourth-seeded Anett Kontaveit battled past Germany’s Laura Siegemund 3-6 6-2 6-2 and seventh-seeded Dayana Yastremska eased into the last eight with a 6-2 6-4 win over France’s Oceane Dodin.
Italy’s Camila Giorgi was also a winner on Thursday, she knocked off Kaja Juvan, 3-6 6-2 6-4 to become the third quarter-finalist from Italy.
Here’s how the last eight shape up for Friday in Palermo:
And Friday’s order of play.