During the past three years, Russia has dominated Kungens Kanna & Drottningens Pris. Do any of the remaining players’ got what it takes to break that streak?
The last three winners, in both the boys’ and girls’ singles, has been from Russia, and they are also hot candidates to grab this year’s victories. Two out of eight players are competing for the big country in the east on the boys’ side, while a Russian is among the top eight on the girls’ side.
When our third round was played during Wednesday, we had a chance to see several remarkable matches. One of them was when the fourth-seeded Russian Alibek Kachmazov struck out Adam Heinonen, the last Swedish contestant left standing in the singles.
Although the Swede won the second set with a convincing 6-1, the Russian showed that he was the better of the two in the deciding set.
Another great match on Wednesday was Carol Plakk, up against Aleksandra Wierzbowska. The match lasted more than three hours. After a drawn out battle, Plakk proved her rightful place as victor and went through to the Quarter Finals.
Do not miss: Keep your eyes on Alibek Kachmazov during Thursday. The Russian defeated Swedish Heinonen, in three sets and can be a name for this year’s title. Kachmazov moves easily on the track and can strike killing shots from where you least expect it.
Another player to keep an eye on is the Latvian Kamilla Bartone. Bertone is a powerful player with hard ground strokes. She sometimes varies her game with a solid slice backhand. Bertone faces the Estonian Carol Plakk in the quarterfinals. A match with two great fighters!