Australian No.2 John Millman has crashed out of the Stockholm Open, going down to exciting young Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Millman, who has been struggling with a hip injury since his run to the quarter-finals of the US Open, came through a tough test when he battled back from a set down to beat Russia's Alexei Popyrin on Tuesday.
However, 20-year-old world No.16 Tsitsipas proved to be a step too far for the Queenslander as he reeled off three successive games to seal victory in the third set in just over two hours.
Meanwhile, Daria Gavrilova's Kremlin Cup campaign has come to an end at the hands of Britain's Johanna Konta in the round of 16.
Gavrilova, a former finalist at this event in 2016, went down 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to the Sydney-born Konta on Wednesday in the Russian capital.
Former world No.1 Karolina Pliskova was stunned 6-1, 6-2 by qualifier Vera Zvonareva, but defeat came with a silver lining for the Czech who secured qualification for the WTA Finals.
Daria Gavrilova has bowed out of the Kremlin Cup.Credit:AP
Pliskova's loss meant Elina Svitolina booked her place in next week's season-ending tournament in Singapore.
However, fellow contender Kiki Bertens lost in three sets to Aliaksandra Sasnovich to give Pliskova the eighth and final spot.
"I'm delighted to be appearing at the WTA Finals for the third time," world No.5 Pliskova said.
"I have such great memories from playing in Singapore in 2016 and 2017, and I can't wait to close out the year competing against the other elite players of 2018."
Russian Zvonareva raced into a 4-0 lead in the opening set and the 34-year-old continued her dominance in the second set to seal her first win over a top-10 player since 2011. She next faces fifth seed Anastasija Sevastova.
Sasnovich overcame a mid-match lapse to dump out fourth seed Bertens 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 and the Dutchwoman is now the first alternate for the WTA finals.
Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens, another player who will feature in Singapore, made a slew of errors in her 6-3, 6-2 defeat by Tunisia's Ons Jabeur.
AAP
Source: Read Full Article