For quite some time, Clara Tauson has struggled significantly with both her fitness and her results, but she is showing promising signs in Monterrey, Mexico.
Early Thursday morning CET, the Danish tennis player defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6, 4-6, 6-3.
While the Russian was the top seed in the WTA 500 tournament, Tauson entered the match with a strong record against Alexandrova, having won both of their previous encounters.
In the first set, however, the unseeded Tauson struggled to overcome the World No. 19, who held serve despite some difficulty.
The set went to a tiebreak, where the Russian earned a set point before Tauson clinched it with three consecutive points.
Tauson also appeared to have the upper hand in the second set, during which Alexandrova seemed drained of energy and gestured in frustration.
The Dane had three opportunities to break serve and take a 2-1 lead, but Alexandrova held firm. Shortly after, Tauson missed another chance on the Russian's serve, and suddenly her momentum stalled completely.
Clara Tauson committed three consecutive double faults, handing Ekaterina Alexandrova the first service break of the match. Alexandrova went on to win the set, though she still hadn't fully found her rhythm.
A flurry of errors proved costly in the final set for the Russian as Tauson finally converted a break point to go up 4-2.
Alexandrova fought back to level the score at deuce (40-40) while Tauson was serving for the match. However, a powerful serve from the Dane and an overhit backhand from her opponent ultimately decided the contest.
Tauson thereby booked her ticket to the quarter-finals in Mexico, where she will face the French player Diane Parry, ranked 50th in the world.
