June 7, 2019 – Of the three winners of the WTA Croatia Bol Open, only one – Slovenian Tamara Zidanšek – made it to the semifinals. In the first round, Tamara eliminated the first winner, Luxembourg’s Mandy Minella, and in the quarterfinals, she beat Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky 7: 6 (5), 6:4, who remains without a title in Bol. The second winner, Serbian Aleksandra Krunić, was kicked out in the quarters by the young Slovenian Kaja Juvan with a score of 7:5, 6:3. Juvan has confirmed her great potential with another stellar performance. She will play in the semifinals against her fellow countrywoman, Zidanšek.
“Today was not an easy match; in the end, I was happy to leave the court. When I got the first set, it was easier,” Zidanšek said.
Bol is a special tournament for Zidanšek:
“It’s beautiful here, close to the sea, swimming … It’s so special,” she added.
Kaja Juvan could be the “next big thing”.
“I did not know what to expect from this tournament, which had a lot of good players in the top 100. I did not play the best today, but I passed. I was nervous against Krunić, but I succeeded.”
And the semi-finals against Zidanšek?
“I know her; we play the FED Cup together. I know how she plays, good and constant. It’s hard to play against someone from the same country. We’re waiting for a fight, and I hope I win. My advantage is that I’m more aggressive, and Tamara has consistency in her game,” Kaja added.
Slovakian Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova did not have any major problems against Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann, who she defeated 6:3, 6:4.
“It was a bit hot, but I was happy with the game. I’ve been here three times, I hope to win the tournament, if not this year, I’ll be back again,” Schmiedlova said.
Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo and Germany’s Laura Siegmund met in the final match of the day.
“She changed tactics throughout the match, but I was focused, I tried to play well, and I’m in the semi-finals,” Tormo said after finishing the match 6:1, 6:0.
At 1 pm on Saturday, the doubles final will be held: C. Lister (SWE) / R. Voracova (CZE) – T. Bacsinszky (SUI) / M. Minella (LUX).
The semi-finals in the singles competition begin on Saturday at 2:30 pm on the central court of the Bluesun tennis center in Zlatni rat. The first to play is Zidanšek and Juvan.
You can read more about the tournament here.
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