GAIBA, Italy — Yanina Wickmayer will face top-seeded Tatjana Maria in the quarterfinals of the Veneto Open after rallying to beat former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 on Wednesday.
Kenin appeared headed for victory when she raced to a 4-2 advantage in the third set but the eighth-seeded Wickmayer managed to save a break point, which would have left her American opponent serving for the match.
Wickmayer went on to win five of the final six games to keep the Belgian on course for a fourth title of the season.
“I lost the last match against Kenin so I knew what was in store for me. I had to fight for every point, trying always to play an aggressive tennis,” said Wickmayer, who missed the 2021 season due to the birth of her first child.
“I’m happy to have won. Coming back onto the tour as a mother has been a challenge, but it’s all going great.”
It was easier for Maria, who beat Italian wild card Lisa Pigato 6-3, 6-3 to spoil her opponent’s 20th birthday celebration.
Wickmayer, who reached the US Open semifinals in 2009, has lost both her previous matches against Maria.
Sixth-seeded Yuan Yue also eased into the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Jang Su-jeong.
The Chinese player will next face fourth-seeded Olga Danilovic of Serbia after she beat Sinja Kraus 6-3, 7-6 (2).
It’s the second year of the Veneto Open, the first WTA tournament played on natural grass in Italy. The courts are made on former soccer fields.