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Stuttgart (AP) - Angelique Kerber was eliminated in the round of 16 of the tennis tournament in Stuttgart and must continue to wait for a success against a top player.
After a long and promising performance, the German number one lost on Thursday against world number five Jelina Switolina from Ukraine 6: 7 (4: 7), 3: 6.
The first set was decisive after Kerber lost the consistency that had long been shown at a good level. The 33-year-old missed the chance to gain much-needed self-confidence at the home tournament after her weak start to the season on the way to the French Open. From the eight German participants at the beginning, none of them made it to the quarter-finals of the 456 073 euro indoor clay court tournament.
Unlike on Wednesday against the clear outsider Jekaterine Gorgodse from Georgia, Kerber was fully challenged against Switolina.
She had not won against the Ukrainian since 2016 in Montreal, and has now lost seven times in a row.
"I'm looking forward to a challenge like this right at the beginning of the clay court season, so that you can see where you stand and where you can develop, especially with regard to Paris," Kerber said.
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The Schleswig-Holstein woman tried to play actively and not just let herself be put on the defensive.
She succeeded in doing this for a long time.
The Kielerin led 5: 4 and 6: 5, but could not win the first set.
In the tie-break, she made three forehand and one double fault, so four points went to the opponent without need.
There was more in it.
In the second round, her body language no longer expressed that she still believed in herself.
With another slight mistake and another double mistake, Kerber left the 26-year-old Switolina the decisive break to 1: 3.
Before the Kerber-Aus Anna-Lena Friedsam missed the first quarter-finals in Stutgart on the fourth day of the tournament with a 4: 6, 2: 6 against the five seeded Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus.
This means that no Germans are among the illustrious circle in the quarter-finals: The Australian world number one Ashleigh Barty is playing against the former Czech US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova for a place in the semifinals.
The Romanian Wimbledon winner Simona Halep and the Czech defending champion Petra Kvitova, two-time Wimbledon winner, are also among others.
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The last German winner of the Porsche Grand Prix for the time being remains the Swabian Laura Siegemund 2017. Kerber had won the tournament in 2015 and 2016 - on Friday she will still play in the double quarter-finals with Andrea Petkovic.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210422-99-315499 / 2
Tournament tableau
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World ranking
Kerber and Switolina in direct comparison