Krajicek enters final qualifying round

Dubai: 2007 Wimbledon quarter-finalist Michaella Krajicek led a couple of seeded players into the final round of qualifying at the 20th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge at the Habtoor Grand Beach Resort and Spa, on Monday.

Down by a set, Krajicek justified her wild card for the qualifiers winning the next two for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 result against fifth seed Amra Sadikovic from Switzerland and advance to the final round where she will face Hungary’s Reka-Luca Jani. The Hungarian girl fought off from a one-set deficit to get the better of third seed Tereza Mrdeza 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Fanni Stollar, another player from Hungary, became only the second seeded player remaining in the lower half of the draw when she overcame Sabrina Santamaria of the United States 6-2, 6-4. She will now meet fellow Hungarian Greta Arn, a 6-3, 6-4 winner over seventh seed Valeria Savinykh of Russia.

“I have never played her before simply because I am never in Hungary but training in the US,” Stollar told Gulf News.

“All I know is that she [Arn] is returning from an injury after a while. But that doesn’t bother me as I am focused on what I need to do, and that is to play my game. One more game and I am through to the main draw, and that is the focus for the moment,” he added.