WTA 1000 in Cincinnati: Gracheva and Jeanjean, qualifying players, know their opponents in the first round
Out of the three French players involved in the second round of qualifiers for the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati, two have managed to reach the main draw. While Elsa Jacquemot couldn't overcome Viktoriya Tomova (6-4, 6-1), Varvara Gracheva and Léolia Jeanjean succeeded in winning their second qualifying match.
The first, expeditious against Buzarnescu, confirmed her performance against the young Iva Jovic, 17 years old (6-3, 6-4). After the draw, Gracheva is now set to face Katie Volynets in the first round.
If successful, she will meet another American player in the second round, Sofia Kenin, who defeated Gracheva in the first round of Roland Garros this season. Another French player who managed to make it through the qualifiers is Léolia Jeanjean.
Ranked 98th in the WTA, she overcame Carol Zhao (6-1, 4-6, 6-3) and then secured her spot in the main draw against Rebeka Masarova (6-3, 6-4). These two victories open the doors to the main draw for her, and she will face Yuliia Starodubtseva in her debut match.
The Ukrainian is ranked 73rd this week and notably reached the round of 16 at the WTA 1000 in Madrid this season. If successful, Jeanjean will have a prestigious second round match against Amanda Anisimova.
