MOSCOW, August 23. /TASS/. Russian tennis player Yekaterina Alexandrova is moving on to the semifinals at the 2024 WTA (Women Tennis Association) Monterrey Open tournament in Mexico.
In a little under two hours, Russia’s 3rd-seed Alexandrova defeated her 7th-seeded opponent Yue Yuan of China in straight sets 7-5; 7-6 (7-3). The Russian is now set to play in the semifinals against New Zealand’s Lulu Sun (unseeded), who advanced from the quarterfinals stage after a straight sets win of 6-4; 6-3 over Erika Andreeva of Russia.
According to the tournament’s official website, Alexandrova and Sun are set to battle each other later on Friday: "Notably, it will be their second on-tour meeting, with the Russian leading 1-0 in the head-to-head from their previous duel in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Korea Open."
Alexandrova, 29, plays under a neutral status at the international tennis tournaments, she is currently ranked 30th in the WTA Rankings and has four career WTA tournament titles under her belt. Her best career finish in Grand Slams was in 2023, when she reached the fourth round of Wimbledon. She is also the winner of the 2021 Billie Jean King Cup.
The 2024 Monterrey Open, which has the WTA 500 category, is played on outdoor courts on August 19 and 24 at the Club Sonoma in Monterrey, Mexico. Croatia’s Donna Vekic is the reigning champion at the tournament.
Russian players’ neutral status at tennis tournaments
On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.
Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) ruled on March 1, 2022 to suspend the membership of the Russian and Belarusian national tennis federations while also canceling all previously scheduled tennis tournaments in the two countries.
On March 14, 2022, the ITF also confirmed its prohibition of the Russian and Belarusian national tennis teams from the 2022 Davis Cup and 2022 Billie Jean King Cup.
However, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) allowed tennis players from Russia and Belarus to continue participating in WTA and ATP tournaments, but only under a neutral status.