Stuttgart – Laura Siegemund has reached the quarter-finals of the Stuttgart tennis tournament for the first time since winning the title in 2017.
The 34-year-old Swabian was leading 6-4, 3-1 in the last 16 when Greek world number five Maria Sakkari retired. This is the third time Siegemund has reached the round of the best eight at her home tournament.
On Friday, she will play against Lyudmila Samsonova. The unseeded Russian tennis player surprisingly advanced against the Czech top player Karolina Pliskova.
Siegemund had started the €611,210 tournament with lower expectations because she lacked match practice after a knee operation. She had received a wildcard to take part in the top-class event, but her break meant she fell out of the top 200 in the world rankings.
German number one Angelique Kerber suffered another disappointment with her first-round exit on Wednesday.
