The qualifying round for the inaugural $757,900 San Diego Open WTA 500 women’s tennis tournament concludes on Sunday. Australian Ellen Perez has been steadily beating the odds and is now one of the six qualifiers to enter the singles main draw.
Russian Liudmila Samsonova got into the main draw because Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia withdrew.
Perez admitted to feeling a little rushed during her qualification match against Varvara Flink on Saturday.
“It was a bit of a rollercoaster,” Perez said. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it in time for the match. I got the call at the last second that I was actually in.
Russian player Anna Kalinka completely shut down American Emma Navarro, defeating her 6-4, 7-6 (3) on the Hologic Court.
Perez is ranked 348th on the Women’s Tennis Association singles ranking. Kalinskaya is ranked 58th.
The losers from Sunday’s football game will receive $5,410 while the winners will be guaranteed at least $8,080.
The first round of the competition begins on Monday. Six high-ranking players, including Iga Swiatek, who won the 2022 French Open and U.S. Open, are in the main draw.
The tournament got its name from the placement of ranking points as the prize. It is one of the fourth tier of tournaments on the main WTA Tour, below the grand slam, WTA Finals and nine WTA 1000 tournaments.
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