In Wednesday’s second-round action at the Palermo Ladies Open, Sara Errani recorded a tour-leading 180th career win on clay, while her fellow Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto made the first WTA quarterfinals of her young career.
In a two-hour match interrupted by brief torrential rain, wildcard Sara Errani thrilled Italian fans by battling past Kristyna Pliskova 3-6 6-4 6-3. After falling short in the first set, the 2008 and 2012 Palermo champion Errani faced no break points in the second set, thanks to her 90% first serve percentage (even though her opponent was almost as spectacular with 83%) and a crucial break at 3-2 in the decider helped extend her long history claycourt dominance.