BERLIN: Top seed Aryna Sabalenka and US star Coco Gauff suffered setbacks in their Wimbledon build-ups on Thursday when they slumped to second round losses at the Berlin WTA tournament.
World number two Sabalenka was defeated 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) by Veronika Kudermetova whose Russian compatriot Ekaterina Alexandrova saw off seventh-ranked Gauff 6-4, 6-0.
Alexandrova and Kudermetova will meet in Friday’s quarter-finals, just five days after they fought out the final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
Kudermetova had also defeated Sabalenka at the same stage in Berlin 12 months ago in three sets.
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Alexandrova, ranked at 22, successfully defended her ‘s-Hertogenbosch title in a dramatic three-set triumph over Kudermetova on Sunday.
Her win over Gauff avenged her loss to the American teenager from two match points up in their only previous meeting at Dubai in 2021. After falling behind 3-1 in the first set, the 28-year-old Russian won 11 of the last 12 games to reach the Berlin quarter-finals for the second time in her career.
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