Tokyo WTA 500: Gracheva Defeats Inglis and Advances to Main Draw

Varvara Gracheva cleared the qualifying hurdle in the Japanese capital.

As the only French player entered in the Tokyo WTA 500 qualifying rounds, Gracheva aimed to reach the main draw. After her victory against Emiliana Arango (6-2, 2-6, 7-5), the world No. 83 faced Maddison Inglis, ranked 157th in the WTA.

The Australian had benefited from Hailey Baptiste's withdrawal in the previous round. Gracheva and Inglis met for the third time. In their first two encounters, the Frenchwoman had won easily without dropping a single set, and the 25-year-old player confirmed this trend in recent hours.

She won again in straight sets (6-3, 6-1 in 1 hour and 14 minutes) and advanced to the main draw. The match was interrupted by rain when Inglis was leading 1-0 in the second set. Gracheva, who was merciless upon the players' return to the court, will learn her first-round opponent once all qualifying matches are completed.