Rome, 7 Jan (LaPresse) – The challenges of the women's qualifiers for the Australian Open 2025 continue. In the Italian night positive debut for the veteran Sara Errani, eliminated instead Nuria Brancaccio. Errani (107 in the Wta rankings), is in her 17th Australian Open appearance overall (including twelve in the main draw at Melbourne Park where she reached the quarters in 2012). Last year she reached 50 main draw appearances in singles at the US Open at the Slam. Among the Italian women only Francesca Schiavone (70), Silvia Farina (53) and Roberta Vinci (52) have played more. Her run in Melbourne began with a comeback victory over Alina Korneeva, world junior number 1 in 2023 when she won the Australian Open and Roland Garros under 18. Her next opponent was another young player, the Czech Brenda Fruhvirtova (Linda's younger sister), ranked 197 (she was already ranked 87 in August last year), with a score of 2-6 6-3 6-3. The teenager from Prague won her only previous match in three sets, played in the first round of the WTA qualifiers in Guadalajara in 2022. Nuria Brancaccio (183), returning to Melbourne Park for the second time after a first-round qualifying defeat in 2024, also exited in the first round this time, eliminated in three sets (2-6 6-3 4-6) by Germany's Tamara Korpatsch, who has a career-best ranking of No. 71 in 2023 and a second-round main draw at all Slams.
© Copyright LaPresse
