Gracheva and Jacquemot Advance to Quarterfinals of Contrexéville Tournament

After the eliminations of Carole Monnet and Amandine Hesse in the round of 16, the last two remaining French players aimed to secure their spots in the quarterfinals of the WTA 125 tournament in Contrexéville. Mission accomplished for Varvara Gracheva and Elsa Jacquemot, who will return this Friday to try and reach the semifinals.

As the top seed in the Vosges region, Gracheva faced no trouble defeating Julia Riera (6-4, 6-4). The world No. 92 will now face Oksana Selekhmeteva for a place in the semifinals.

In the final four, she could even meet Elsa Jacquemot if the Lyon native holds her ground until then. The world No. 113, for her part, staged a comeback against Kathinka Von Deichmann (3-6, 6-2, 6-2). In the quarterfinals—and ahead of a potential all-French showdown on Saturday—the 23-year-old Jacquemot will first have to overcome Simona Waltert, ranked 127th in the world.

The Swiss player has not dropped a set in her first two matches against Sinja Kraus and Alina Charaeva and has a strong record against Jacquemot. Indeed, in their six previous meetings, Waltert has won five, including five consecutive victories against her upcoming opponent.