MATCH POINTS
Sara Errani, Camila Giorgi and Elisabetta Cocciaretto are all still flying the home flag in the quarterfinals - the first time three Italians have made the last eight of a WTA tournament since Hobart 2015, when Giorgi, Roberta Vinci and Karin Knapp all fell in the quarterfinals. This is the eighth time there have been three Italian quarterfinalists in Palermo following its debut edition in 1990 and then a six-year streak between 2005 and 2010; on the last of those occasions, Flavia Pennetta was the runner-up, Romina Oprandi a semifinalist and Errani a quarterfinalist.
This is former World No.5 Sara Errani's 45th quarterfinal appearance on clay - no active player has reached more (Serena Williams is in second place with 37). It is also Errani's 80th WTA quarterfinal overall - the 11th most among active players.
No.1 seed Petra Martic leads the head-to-head against qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 3-1, including their most recent meeting 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round of Budapest 2018, and their only clay encounter 6-1, 7-5 in the first round of the 2014 Trnava ITF 75K event. Former World No.30 Sasnovich is yet to drop a set in five matches this week in reaching her first WTA quarterfinal since Sydney 2019, and is bidding for her first Top 20 win since upsetting Anett Kontaveit in the first round of Madrid last year.
No.7 seed Dayana Yastremska and Camila Giorgi have split two previous encounters. In Strasbourg qualifying in 2017, Giorgi saved a match point to win a 6-7(1), 6-2, 7-5 epic, but Yastremska avenged the loss 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of Wimbledon last year.
At 19 years and 196 days, former junior World No.12 Elisabetta Cocciaretto is the youngest Italian to reach a WTA quarterfinal since Sara Errani made the last eight at Budapest 2006 aged 19 years and 92 days, and the youngest Palermo quarterfinalist since an 18-year-old Laura Robson reached the 2012 semifinals. Cocciaretto, who improved her ranking from World No.779 last May to a career high of World No.153 this February, will face No.4 seed Anett Kontaveit for the first time.
Fiona Ferro's only previous clash with Sara Errani was in Rabat qualifying last year, with the Frenchwoman coming from 0-3 down in the deciding set to triumph 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
ORDER OF PLAY (all courts start 4pm)
CENTER COURT
[1] Petra MARTIC (CRO) vs [Q] Aliaksandra SASNOVICH (BLR)
[4] Anett KONTAVEIT (EST) vs [WC] Elisabetta COCCIARETTO (ITA)
Fiona FERRO (FRA) vs [WC] Sara ERRANI (ITA)
[7] Dayana YASTREMSKA (UKR) vs Camila GIORGI (ITA)
COURT 6
Greet MINNEN (BEL) / Alison VAN UYTVANCK (BEL) vs Arantxa RUS (NED) / Tamara ZIDANSEK (SLO)
