Turkish youngster Ipek Oz locks horns with 20-year-old Darya Astakhova in the quarterfinals of the WTA Montevideo Open on Friday.
The 23-year-old reached her first final in the ITF circuit in January in Spain. She finished runner-up. Oz won her only title so far this year at the ITF event in Sweden. She finished runner-up a couple of more times in Romania and Seville.
She began her campaign in the WTA Montevideo Open with a comprehensive win in straight sets against Guillermina Grant 6-2, 6-1. In the round of 16, Oz had to dig deep, especially in the second and third sets. She eventually defeated the Spanish youngster, Rosa Vicens Mas 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.
After being knocked out of the doubles event, Astakhova will be keen on going the distance at the singles competition. The Russian tennis pro is closing in on a top 200 debut.
Astakhova got off to a great start in the tournament as she defeated the third seed Tamara Zidansek in an immensely competitive encounter 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. Currently ranked 217, Astakhova picked up another three-set victory against Eva Vedder 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 in the round of 16.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 1-0 in favor of Ipek Oz. Astakhova picked up the win in their first clash in the qualifiers of an ITF event in Kazakhstan in 2018. Oz exacted her revenge the following year at an ITF event in Serbia.
Prediction: Darya Astakhova to win in three sets.
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