WTA 1000 Cincinnati: Gracheva Eases Past Buzarnescu, Jacquemot Upsets Juvan in Qualifying First Round

Like the men's draw, the women's qualifying rounds for the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati also kicked off early this week. To start the day in Ohio, two French players were in action.

Facing Mihaela Buzarnescu, who recently returned to competition after nearly three years away, the Frenchwoman showed no hesitation. Against the 37-year-old left-handed Romanian, Gracheva, ranked 106th in the WTA, wrapped up the match in exactly one hour.

Untroubled by her opponent, she secured a straight-sets victory (6-0, 6-2) and advanced to the second qualifying round. To reach the main draw, she will now need to overcome young Iva Jovic (17), who earlier defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri (7-5, 6-2).

Meanwhile, Elsa Jacquemot also cleared the first-round hurdle. Against Kaja Juvan, the world No. 100 struggled for long stretches against the Slovenian’s serve but converted her only break point opportunity across the first two sets to level the match.

After saving a match point, she eventually took control in the closing stages to triumph (2-6, 7-5, 7-5 in 2h43) and will next face Viktoriya Tomova, who defeated Louisa Chirico (6-2, 6-1).