Lidiya Encheva continues her strong performance at the hard court tournament in Istanbul, Turkey, with a prize fund of 40,000 US dollars.
The 20-year-old Bulgarian qualified for the quarterfinals of the competition after achieving a dramatic and strong-willed victory against the experienced representative of the hosts Cagla Buyukakcay with 3:6, 6:2, 6:4 after three hours of epic battle on the court.
After giving up in the first set, Encheva found the strength to change the course of the match. Despite conceding 4 breaks during the match, she demonstrated her fighting spirit and realized 5 break points, with which she imposed her will on the Turkish tennis player, closing the decisive third set in her favor.
In a dispute for a place in the semifinals, Lidiya Encheva will face qualifier Anna Kubareva from Russia.
Meanwhile, the other Bulgarian who reached the second round of the tournament – the “lucky loser“ from the seedings Beatriz Krasteva, ended her participation. She lost to sixth seed Nastasya Schunk from Germany 1:6, 1:6 in 55 minutes of play.