Second seed Danka Kovinic will lock horns with Japan’s Yuki Naito in the round of 16 of the Copa LP Chile on Wednesday.
The Montenegrin athlete created a record very early in the season. With wins against Jang Su-Jeong and Emma Raducanu in the first couple of rounds, Kovinic became the first player from Montenegro to reach the third round of a Grand Slam.
Kovinic had a good campaign in the Emilia-Romagna Open where she defeated the likes of Sloane Stephens, and Jasmine Paolini in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, respectively before going down to Maria Sakkari in the semis. In the first round of the Copa LP Chile, Kovinic eased past Bethanie Mattek-Sands in straight sets 6-0, 6-3.
The Japanese youngster has mostly played on the ITF circuit this season. She has reached three finals this year in ITF events in three different countries – Spain, Australia, and Croatia.
She came into the tournament after losing to Solymar Colling in the round of 32 of the Henderson Tennis Open. In the first round of the Copa LP Chile, Naito bounced back after losing the first set to defeat Ekaterine Gorgodze 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0 as the two players have not faced each other before.
Prediction: Danka Kovinic to win in straight sets.
More Tennis news
Follow our dedicated Tennis page for instant Tennis news and updates