VALENCIA — Egyptian Mayar Sherif, the top seed, reached the quarter-finals of the Valencia tennis Open by winning against Argentinian Maria Lourdes Carle 6-2, 6-1 at the Valencia Tennis Club.
Sherif, ranked No 40, will play American qualifier Ann Li next.
Ahead of her victory, the Egyptian beat Chilean lucky loser Daniela Seguel (6-0, 6-1).
Carle, ranked No 140, won against Austrian Sinja Kraus (6-4, 6-2) in the previous round of the BBVA Open.
Sherif defeated Daniela Seguel 6-0, 6-1.
Mayar, the top seed, moved into the last 16 of the Valencia Open by defeating Chilean lucky loser Seguel 6-0, 6-1.
Last week, the No.3 seed prevailed in a mammoth battle in the WTA 125 Makarska Open final, saving six championship points in a 2-6, 7-6(6), 7-5 victory over No.2 seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy.
In a showdown between two of the most successful performers at WTA 125 tournaments, it was World No.54 Sherif who triumphed in just under three hours in her first meeting with Paolini, ranked one spot higher at No.53.
Sherif improves her perfect record in WTA 125 finals to 5-0. This is the Egyptian’s first WTA 125 title of this year after winning three of those titles last season and another in 2021. Paolini, meanwhile, is now a two-time winner and a two-time runner-up at WTA 125 events.
Sherif trailed 6-2, 5-2 in the match, and stared down three championship points on her serve at 5-4. The Egyptian mixed in winning passes and drop shots to drag the set into a tiebreak, but Paolini fired an error-forcing forehand to garner two more championship points at 6-4 in the breaker.
However, Sherif erased those as well, and she fired another deft drop shot to lead 7-6 and grab her first set point. There, Sherif slammed a backhand winner to level the match at one set apiece.
Sherif faced a sixth championship point down 5-3 in the third set, but she fired a passing winner to erase Paolini’s last chance. Sherif then broke for 5-5 on her fifth break point of that lengthy game, and she eased to her fifth career WTA 125 title from there, winning the last four games in succession.
Elsewhere, Italian Sara Errani, the No 3 seed, edged out Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals.
Errani, ranked No 69, will face Marina Bassols Ribera next.
Ahead of her victory, the 36-year-old Italian won against Latvian qualifier Darja Semenistaja (6-4, 6-0).
Sorribes Tormo, ranked No 82, defeated Leyre Romero Gormaz (6-0, 6-3) in the previous round of the BBVA Open.
Spanish wildcard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro edged out Dane Clara Tauson 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the quarter-finals.
Bouzas Maneiro, ranked No 178, will face German Tamara Korpatsch next.
In the previous round of the BBVA Open, the 20-year-old Spaniard benefited from the abandonment of Austrian Julia Grabher, the second seed (6-3, 2-1).
Tauson, ranked No 93, won against Romanian Jaqueline Cristian (6-4, 7-5) in the 32 of the BBVA Open.
Meanwhile, Argentinian Nadia Podoroska, the No 8 seed, advanced to the quarter-finals of the Valencia Open after Frenchwoman Leolia Jeanjean withdrew before the match.
Podoroska, ranked No 94, will face Swede Mirjam Bjorklund next.
The Argentinian edged out Spanish wildcard Angela Fita Boluda (6-2, 4-6, 7-5) ahead of her victory.
In the previous round of the BBVA Open, Jeanjean, ranked No 138, defeated Spanish wildcard Rosa Vicens Mas (7-5, 6-4).
