Vicky Jiménez Kasintseva Falls in Stuttgart Qualifying Opener to Veteran Zvonareva
The Andorran world No. 107 lost 3-6, 3-6 to 41-year-old Russia's Vera Zvonareva, marking her second straight first-round qualifying exit and a projected drop to No. 112.
Key Points
- Vicky Jiménez Kasintseva (world No. 107) lost 3-6, 3-6 to Vera Zvonareva (No. 338) in Stuttgart WTA 500 qualifying opener.
- 41-year-old Zvonareva dominated the 1-hour-28-minute match, securing breaks to win both sets.
- Marks Kasintseva's second straight first-round qualifying exit after Linz.
- Projected to drop to No. 112 in WTA rankings; next at Madrid Open main draw on wild card.
Andorran tennis player Vicky Jiménez Kasintseva was eliminated in the first round of qualifying at the WTA 500 tournament in Stuttgart, losing 3-6, 3-6 to Russia's Vera Zvonareva in one hour and 28 minutes.
The world No. 107 and No. 3 seed in qualifying struggled against the 41-year-old Zvonareva, ranked No. 338. Despite Zvonareva's former peak at No. 2 in 2010, she controlled the match from the start. Jiménez dropped serve in the first game, briefly breaking back to trail 2-3. Zvonareva responded immediately and closed the set with another break on her third set point at 3-5. One report noted the Russian leading 0-2 and 1-3 before Jiménez levelled at 3-3, only for Zvonareva to win three straight games.
In the second set, Jiménez broke first to lead 2-1, but lost serve three times as Zvonareva equalised and sealed victory on her second match point.
This defeat follows a similar first-round qualifying exit in Linz, marking two straight losses at that stage. Jiménez is now projected to drop to No. 112 in the WTA rankings. She next competes at the Mutua Madrid Open in two weeks, entering the main draw on a wild card and skipping qualifiers.
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