Martina Trevisan breaks new ground as she reaches maiden WTA 1000 quarter-final

WTA Tour

James Richardson
March 27, 2023

Martina Trevisan went over Jelena Ostapenko to reach the last eight of the Miami Open on Monday.

She cruised to a 6-3, 6-3 win over the more fancied 24th seed despite just one seeding place separating the two.

Trevisan has reached the last four of a Grand Slam and won at WTA 250 level but her best performance at WTA 1000 level had been a run to the third round in Guadalajara late last year.

Trevisan eased to a 90 minute triumph to break new ground thanks to a win in her first match against Ostapenko.

She was delighted to notch a victory over a former Grand Slam champion.

Trevisan, who is making her main-draw debut in Miami, is the first Italian to reach this stage of the tournament’s singles draw in a decade, dating back to 2013, when Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci both gained the last eight.

“It means a lot because I never won a match here,” Trevisa said.

“Match after match I’m collecting experience that’s helping me a lot, especially in this type of match when you play against an important player like Ostapenko. She has a lot of experience, more than me.”

Trevisan has struggled to find her best form since her dream run in Paris and this performance has seen her win three matches in succession for the first time since her Roland Garros heroics.

Despite trailing 2-0 in the second set, Trevisan found a strong response by breaking Ostapenko three times en route to winning the set. She won five straight games, including a decisive five-deuce seventh game in which she fended off four break points that would have brought Ostapenko back to serve and back into the match.

Another Major champion could await Trevisan in the Miami Open last eight, where she’ll meet the winner of the match between Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and Elise Mertens in the fourth round.

Later, Anastasia Potopova would battle beyond Chinese star Qinwen Zheng to clinch her place in the Miami Open last eight.

“Today was such a different match because I was on the defense,” she explained after duking it out with Zheng.

“She hits stronger than me, and I saw her struggling when I was getting back all the balls to her.”

Potopova goes on to face third seed Jessica Pegula, who needed to overcome ‘good friend’ Magda Linette to secure her passage into another WTA 1000 quarter-final.

Martina Trevisan