Russian tennis pro – Veronika Kudermetova has advanced to the round of 16 of the ongoing Cincinnati Master after her second-round opponent Simona Halep gave a walkover prior to the match.
The No. 15 seed – Simona Halep, withdrew before the match at the Linder Tennis Family Center in Cincinnati. The Romanian entered the tournament on the back of a triumphant campaign in Montreal where she defeated Beatriz Haddad Maia in the final of the Canadian Open to bag her second title of the year. The former world No. 1 was one of the favorites to go the distance in Ohio but a thigh strain forced her to pull out of the tournament.
Interestingly, this is the 8th instance in 2022 when Veronika Kudermetova received a walkover or retirement to advance into the next round. The list of all the walkovers/retirements is given below:
| Sl. No. | Player to give walkover/Player to retire | Tournament | Round |
| 1. | Anna Blinkova | Libema Open | Round of 16 |
| 2 | Paula Badosa | French Open | Third Round |
| 3 | Ana Bogdan | Istanbul Open | Round of 16 |
| 4 | Dalma Galfi | Miami Open | Round of 64 |
| 5 | Marie Bouzkova | Indian Wells Masters | Round of 32 |
| 6 | Marketa Vondrousova | Dubai Tennis Championships | Semi-final |
| 7 | Naomi Osaka | Melbourne Summer Set 1 | Semi-final |
Veronika Kudermetova will meet the Australian qualifier Ajla Tomljanovic in the round of 16.
Ajla Tomljanovic won her two qualifying matches against Clara Tauson and Nuria Parrizas-Diaz to progress to the main draw.
In the round of 64, she defeated Taylor Townsend 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. Paula Badosa was Tomljanovic’s next opponent in the round of 32. The Spaniard lost the match 7-6 (7-3), 0-6, 2-6. Veronika Kudermetova will be the favorite going into her match with Ajla Tomljanovic. The match will take place on Friday.
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