Successful Start! Kraus Aims for Next WTA 1000 Triumph
The 24-year-old Viennese, who recently reached the round of 16 in Beijing, makes it to the final qualifying round in Wuhan.
A successful start for Sinja Kraus in the first qualifying round for the WTA 1000 hardcourt tournament in Wuhan.
The 24-year-old Viennese (WTA-95.) won on Saturday against the higher-ranked Magda Linette (WTA-80.) with a score of 7:6(3), 6:2.
In the first set, both players dropped their serve twice. In the second set, Kraus held her serve throughout, while securing two breaks against the 34-year-old Pole.
Challenging Final Qualifying Hurdle
In the second and final qualifying round, the Austrian faces another challenging obstacle: the fourth-seeded Turk, Zeynep Sönmez. The 24-year-old is ranked 58th in the world.
If Kraus manages to eliminate Sönmez as well, she will enter the main draw of a WTA 1000 tournament for the second time in a week. In Beijing, the Viennese even sensationally stormed into the round of 16, where she was eventually stopped by Nikola Bartunkova (CZE/WTA-34.).
New Career-High on Monday
When the WTA world rankings are updated next Monday, Kraus is already guaranteed a new career-high. In the live rankings, the 24-year-old Austrian is currently appearing at 76th place. Her previous career-high was 80th.
