Magda Linette will perform in the quarter-finals of the WTA 250 competition in Mérida. During Thursday’s duel with a Polish player, Hungary’s Panna Udvardy was seriously injured, leaving the field on crutches.

On Tuesday night, Magda Linette (WTA 21) was about to say goodbye to the Mexican event, but she survived some tough times and defeated Colombian Camila Osorio in three sets (more here). Thursday afternoon, the Polish faced Miss Udvardy (WTA 91). Due to an ankle injury, the Hungarian did not finish the match and it was the Pole who qualified for the quarter-finals of the Merida Open Akron with the score 6:0, 2:5.

From the first balls, it was clear that Linette came out focused on the field. The 31-year-old from Poznań drastically limited the number of unforced errors in windy conditions and focused on patient play. The Hungarian wasn’t that consistent and made a lot of mistakes which was reflected in the first set result.

Demolition in the first set

Our representative quickly got to work. Already in the second game she won several plays and got three break points. On the second, she immediately took the lead in the rally and scored a break to make it 2-0 with a forehand winner. After the change of ends, with the score at 3:0, Linette had no problem bringing the rival’s serve to zero. Then she held the pass at 5-0, and after the next change of ends she had two set plays. With the first, the Pole broke the backhand along the line, with the second she repeated this move, but this time successfully.

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Udvardy played poorly in the premiere. She did not support the exchanges, the result of a very solid game by Linette (our tennis player only made one unforced error in this part of the match). In the first set, the ladies played a total of 30 points, 24 of which were scored by the “one” tournament.

Hungarian drama

At the start of the second part, the Pole lost her rhythm a bit. She made a lot of unforced errors, which led to her getting busted twice. The Hungarian, however, didn’t take advantage of these gifts and after the second and fourth game there was a draw. Linette can certainly regret the missed opportunities. At 2, as in the opening match, she led 40-15, but for the third time in a row she lost serve (2:3).

It got edgy when, in the sixth game, Udvarda held serve for the first time in the match and came back to 4:2. This made the 24-year-old Hungarian very strong. She showed a better game, taking the initiative in the exchanges. The lowest ranked tennis player followed suit and in the seventh game she scored one more break (already the fourth in a row). She was leading 5:2 at the time and was one step away from leveling the duel.

However, an unfortunate accident on the pitch shattered Udvarda’s dreams. In the second point of the eighth game, the Hungarian sprained her ankle during the exchange. The tournament doctor was immediately summoned to the main arena, who, together with the referee, escorted the tennis player to the bench. The ankle pain was so intense that tears appeared on Udvarda’s face. There was no question of continuing the game. The injured player scratched himself and left the field on crutches. It only remains to wish him a speedy recovery.

Linette will play the quarter-finals of the WTA 250 in Mérida. On Friday, the Polish opponent will be the experienced Swedish Rebecca Peterson (WTA 140), who after successful qualifications eliminated the Argentine Nadia Podoroska and the American Alycia Parks from the main tournament.

Merida Open AkronMerida (Mexico)
WTA 250, hard court, prize pool 259.3 thousand. dollars
Thursday February 23

2nd singles round:

Magda Linette (Poland, 1st) – Miss Udvardy (Hungary) 6:0, 2:5 and cry

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