The French Varvara Gracheva, 43rd in the world, was eliminated 6-4, 6-3 by the Italian Lucia Bronzetti (65th) Thursday in the quarter-finals of the WTA 250 tournament in Bad Homburg in Germany.
Bronzetti serenely won the first set, transforming one of her four break points and was never worried about her face-off. Dominant, the 24-year-old Italian then stifled Gracheva, carried in particular by a serve effective (4 aces and 81% of points won on first ball).
Arrived in the quarter-finals after two convincing victories against the Romanian Jaqueline Cristian (133rd) and the Italian Sara Errani (80th), former fifth in the world, the 22-year-old Frenchwoman was overtaken by Bronzetti and her powerful forehand.
