Fiona Ferro qualified for the quarter-finals of the W75 in Manama, Bahrain. The player from the Côte d’Azur benefited from her opponent’s retirement in the third set.
It’s been over six months since Fiona Ferro last reached the quarter-finals of a tournament. This is proof of a return to good form for the Valbonne native, who is playing a series of high-level matches. After defeating the American Jenna Defalco in qualifying, and then one of the tournament favorites, Erika Andreeva, yesterday, she faced the tournament’s 7th seed, the Georgian Ekaterine Gorgodze (34 years old, world No. 169) in the round of sixteen on Wednesday. A player who has never reached the Top 100 in her career (highest ranking: 108th) and is known for being a good doubles partner.
Very quickly in the match, Fiona Ferro managed to set her pace. Always solid on her serves, she took advantage of her opponent’s first lapse to convert, with some difficulty, her first break on the fifth opportunity. A real marathon ensued to maintain this lead, especially in the 7th game. Ekaterine Gorgodze tried to come back by all means and managed to get seven break points in return. After some twenty points, Fiona Ferro ultimately prevailed, dealing a blow to the Georgian’s morale. The Frenchwoman claimed the first set (6-3) after a true battle.
In the second set, the scenario seemed to repeat itself. Ekaterine Gorgodze was broken right at the start. It then seemed that the match could quickly turn in the Valbonne native’s favor. But that was not to be. Fiona Ferro faltered in turn. Unable to win a single service game, she lost the set (1-6) without showing much resistance.
Worrying, but not conclusive. In the final set, the player from the Alpes-Maritimes recovered and took advantage of her opponent’s weakness, who was visibly affected physically. Fiona Ferro broke again at the start but struggled to maintain her serve. The situation became even more difficult for Ekaterine Gorgodze, who was forced to retire at the start of the fourth game, granting Fiona Ferro the qualification (6-3/1-6/3-0).
In the next round, the Frenchwoman will face Claire Liu, a former Top 100 member looking to regain a better ranking.
