Kanepi faces Jaquelin Cristian in Melbourne Summer Set tournament round one
Kaia Kanepi will face Romanian player Jaqueline Cristian in round one of the WTA 250 Summer Set 1 tournament in Melbourne, Australia on Tuesday. The competition is a warmer for the Australian Open, later in the month.
Kanepi (73rd) and Cristian (71s) are only two places apart in the WTA rankings, though 13 years separates them in age (Kanepi, from Haapsalu, is 36, her upcoming opponent is 23).
They have also met twice before, with the Estonian coming off best both times, the last encounter being in the fall of 2020 at the ITF tournament in Istanbul, Turkey, which Kanepi won 6:4, 6:2.
Tuesday's winner will face either Tereza Martincova (Czech Republic, 48th in the world) or Ana Konjuh (Serbia, 67th), in round two.
Main draw at the Melbourne Summer Set 1 (WTA 250), where Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep are the top seeds.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 2, 2022
Osaka opens against Alize Cornet, Halep against a qualifier.
Main draw begins on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/vD5bZLJwEM
The 2022 Melbourne Summer Sets comprise two women's and one men's tournament, on hard courts in Melbourne, organized in lieu of the Brisbane International, canceled due to the pandemic.
The Australian Open starts in Melbourne on January 17 and runs to month-end.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
