The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is down to the final eight. But which was your favorite point of the tournament’s second round?
Aryna Sabalenka had a stellar first-set tiebreak against Paula Badosa. Down 3-1, she charged the net, pulled off a brilliant pick-up half-volley then reflexed a shot hit straight at her body away for a winner.
Two points later, Sabalenka’s reflexes came to the fore in a very different way. Badosa seemed to have turned defense to offense with a forehand blow down the line — which Sabalenka managed to turn into an unlikely drop shot winner. Badosa could only high-five her friend for this piece of accidental genius.
Qualifier Sachia Vickery pushed Coco Gauff hard, and only just came up short at the end — but shots like this crosscourt forehand took her to the brink of a huge upset.
Former WTA Finals doubles champion Veronika Kudermetova‘s net skills were on show as she mounted a second-set comeback against Elena Rybakina — particular with this spectacular leaping, angled backhand slam dunk.
Marta Kostyuk delivered a near-flawless opening set against former junior rival Zheng Qinwen, and she showed off all her skills in this point: the creativity with the drop shot, the reactions with the lob and the power with the finishing forehand.
Our Jabeur was at it again during her tilt with Jasmine Paolini. This delightful double drop shot combination marked the start of a first-set comeback for the Tunisian.
In the second set, Paolini played her part in this remarkable point with some desperate defending, not least a forehand squash shot that nearly outfoxed Jabeur by dropping just over the net. But Jabeur dealt with it superbly to respond with a drop shot, and finally ended the exchange with a volleyed lob high over Paolini’s head.
Source: https://www.wtatennis.com/news/3972362/vote-which-was-your-favorite-point-of-the-stuttgart-second-round-
