Qualifier Ana Bogdan will play unseeded Veronika Kudermetova in the first round of the WTA Osaka Open tournament, the match is scheduled for Tuesday.
Ana Bogdan successfully passed the qualifying tournaments, winning both matches with minimal resistance, losing only nine games. She defeated the tournament favorite Naho Sato and improved her record to 18-22, with nine wins on hard courts.
Bogdan has the advantage in their confrontation, having won three of the four meetings, although the last match was in 2021. She has risen nine positions in the live ranking, now ranking 111th.
Veronika Kudermetova defeated Bogdan on clay in Istanbul in their last meeting, which broke her streak of three defeats. However, she also has a difficult year: the current record of 18-23 has negatively affected her world ranking. She started the year at number 16, but now ranks 63rd, which is her lowest since 2019.
The winner of the match will face Moyuka Uchijima or Maria Buzkova in the second round.