Reigning Champion Ana Ivanovic Defeats French Pauline Parmienter To Advance In The Monterrey Afirme Quarterfinals
Top seed Serbian athlete and reigning champion Ana Ivanovic had booked a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Abierto Monterrey Afirme. Ivanovic only need 66 minutes to beat French Pauline Parmienter in straight sets 6-3 6-2.
“I’m happy to be back in the quarterfinals in this tournament,” Ivanovic told Abiertomonterrey.com. “Today’s conditions were very different from yesterday, the ball was slower, but it is good progress.”
Ivanovic will play Kristina Mladenovic, who defeated Vera Zvonoreva 6-4 6-2, in the quarterfinals. It will be the first meeting for both on professional tour. However, the pair had met three times in the inaugural International Premier Tennis League,or IPTL last year. Ivanovic leads 2-1 in their IPTL head-to-head one-set matches.
Elsewhere, second seeded Sara Errani has also advanced in the quarterfinals after beating 2012 Monterrey Open champion Timea Babos 6-3 6-3 in the second round. Errani also beat Lauren Davis 6-0 6-3 in the first round of the tournament. Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia defeated Polona Hercog of Slovenia 7-5 3-6 7-6(9). Timea Bacsinszky survived scare and triumphed against Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko 4-6 6-4 6-4.
There are three more matches in the second round that will take place on March 6. Six players will battle it out for a place in the quarterfinals. Daniela Hantuchova will meet qualifier Urszula Radwanska. Anastasia Pavlyunchenkova will play against Johanna Larsson. Caroline Garcia and Francesca Schiavone will headline the last quarterfinal match in the tournament.
The 2015 Abierto Monterrey Afirme is the seventh edition of the tournament. It is held in the outdoor hard courts of Sierra Madre Tennis Club of Sonoma Club in Nuevo Leon, Monterrey. The total prize money to be distributed in all 32 participating players is reportedly worth $500,000. The singles champion will receive $111,389 and the doubles champion will get $17,724.
Monterrey first hosted the event in 2009, which was won by retired French player Marion Bartoli. Russian tennis player Pavlyunchenkova is a three-time defending champion, having won the tournament in 2010, 2011, and 2013. Babos of Hungary, who fell to Errani in the second round, won the Abierto Monterrey Afirme in 2012 while Ivanovic took home the award in 2014.
To report problems about this article or leave feedback, email r.corpuz@IBTimes.com.au.
