Of the three Germans who’d made it to the second round on Wednesday, only one among them made it to the quarter-finals. Noma Noha Akugue’s now the only home player left in the draw after beating Martina Trevisan to reach the quarter-finals. Akugue came from a set down yet again to pip the Italian 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 after almost three hours of play.
This has been quite a turnout for the 19-year-old for whom this is a career-first WTA event. In her match against the more-experienced Trevisan, Akugue hit 37 winners and converted nine break points.
Hamburg European Open: Noma Noha Akugue and Diana Shnaider kindle rivalry
In the first set, although Trevisan built a 3-0 lead for herself, Akugue not only bridged the gap but also got herself a chance to clinch the set in the 10th game. However, Trevisan saved the set point and eventually converted the set in her favour. In the second set, too, Akugue went down an early break but made a comeback to take the set and send the match into the third set. In the deciding set, it was Akugue’s turn to get an early break only for her opponent to make her comeback. In the 10th game, Trevisan had a chance to serve for the match but Akugue stepped up once again and broke her rival to level the set at five-all. In the 12th game, Akugue was able to secure the win for herself after making good on the first match point that came her way.
Looking to better her record this week, Akugue will next play coeval, Diana Shnaider. The 19-year-old bested Bernarda Pera for the second consecutive week. Unlike in Budapest, this time Shnaider needed three sets to beat the third-seeded American, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4. Shnaider completed the match after an hour and 46 minutes.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the Hamburg European Open draw, Daria Saville and Arantxa Rus set up a quarter-final clash. The Australian ousted Jule Niemeier 6-3, 6-2. The seventh seed from the Netherlands won 6-2, 6-2 against Eva Lys.