Panna Udvardy Upsets Fran Jones in Iasi Open

Iasi, Romania — Panna Udvardy upset eighth-seeded Fran Jones on Thursday, winning 6-4, 6-3 in the second round of the UniCredit Iasi Open. The victory sends Udvardy to her second career WTA quarter-final, with her previous appearance occurring in Budapest in 2021.

Britain’s Jones struggled against the Hungarian, who capitalized on the opportunity to advance. ‘It was a tough match, she played really well,’ said Jones after the match. ‘I’ll learn from this experience.’

In another surprising outcome, Argentine Maria Lourdes Carle came from behind to defeat top seed Elina Avanesyan of Armenia 7-6(4), 6-2. Carle saved five set points while being down 5-6, showcasing her tenacity on the court. Carle is set to face Sorana Cirstea in the quarter-finals after Cirstea ousted fifth seed Varvara Gracheva of France with a score of 6-2, 6-4.

Jaqueline Cristian, the second seed, advanced without dropping a set as her opponent Jana Fest retired while trailing 4-1. Cristian will face Udvardy next in the quarter-finals.

Simona Waltert also secured her spot in the last eight after beating Spain’s Irene Burillo 6-4, 7-6(2). Waltert had to come back from being down 2-5 in the second set, demonstrating her resilience. She will now play fellow Swiss player Jil Teichmann.

Irina-Camelia Begu, the seventh seed, reached her first tour-level quarter-final in a year after defeating Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva from Andorra 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Begu will face Czech qualifier Anna Siskova for a chance to move into the semi-finals.

Three Romanian players have now reached the quarter-finals in Iasi, showing strong local support. Meanwhile, at the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open, top seed Ekaterina Alexandrova breezed through her match against Caroline Werner, winning 6-2, 6-2. Alexandrova is now headed to her sixth quarter-final of the season.

Dayana Yastremska, the second seed, also advanced smoothly, defeating Diane Parry 6-1, 6-4. Yastremska will be the favorite against Dalma Galfi in her next match.

Another noteworthy performance came from Anna Bondar, the defending champion, who won her round against Sinja Kraus 6-3, 6-2. She will face Alexandrova in what promises to be a challenging quarter-final.