Top Seed Mikulskyte Overcomes Opening Challenge
02.12.24
Manic Monday—the second day of the international ITF W35 women's tournament Raiffeisen Val Gardena Südtirol in Ortisei—was packed with thrilling tennis action across 14 matches. The day featured the second and final round of qualifications, as well as the opening matches in both the singles and doubles main draws. Among the players in action were Justina Mikulskyte, the tournament's top seed, and Silvia Ambrosio, recently successful for TC Rungg in Serie A1. The day concluded with a highlight for Südtirol fans in the doubles event. Here's a brief recap.
SURPRISES IN THE QUALIFICATIONS
Excluding Serena Paris—who advanced to the main draw without playing due to a walkover after her opponent Sofia Milatova was directly accepted—five of the seven remaining qualifiers saw victories by players who had already competed on Sunday. Karina Hofbauer, Noemi Maines, Sara Mikaca, Carlotta Moccia, and Elena Bocchi all triumphed over higher-ranked opponents, securing surprising entries into the main draw. Only Olga Helmi from Denmark and Jana Kolodynska from Belarus—who won the match of the day 7:6(4), 1:6, 14-12 against Friederike Nolte—lived up to their favorites' status.
TOP SEED OVERCOMES TOUGH OPENING CHALLENGE
In the afternoon session, Justina Mikulskyte from Lithuania, the tournament's top seed, made her first appearance. She faced a tough opponent in Urszula Radwanska, sister of former WTA No. 2 Agnieszka Radwanska. Urszula, once ranked No. 29 and known for her strong performance on hard courts, proved a significant test. After a high-quality match, Mikulskyte prevailed 6:4, 7:5.
Silvia Ambrosio, a key player for TC Rungg in Serie A1, also started successfully, defeating two-time St. Ulrich champion Federica Di Sarra (2017, 2020) convincingly, 6:2, 6:0. In the duel of Italian wildcards, 15-year-old rising star Angelica Sara overcame Anastasia Bertacchi 6:2, 7:6(4).
MIXED FEELINGS FOR SÜDTIROL DOUBLES TEAMS
The day concluded with two doubles matches involving Südtirol players. Marion Viertler and partner Karina Hofbauer won a tight match against Maines/Popescu, 7:6(2), 7:5, advancing to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, the Peer sisters, Julia and Lisa, fell to the duo Ristic/Zhabrailova, 0:6, 1:6.
DAY 2 RESULTS SUMMARY:
QUALIFICATION SINGLES | ROUND 2:
- Stefanie Auer – Karina Hofbauer: 5:7, 2:6
- Jana Kolodynska – Friederike Nolte: 7:6(4), 1:6, 14-12
