Sao Paolo Open Round-Up: Brazilian brilliance as Beatriz Haddad Maia cruises into quarterfinals

The Sao Paolo Open delivered a straightforward day of tennis action as all the top seeds playing in the singles won and advanced into the quarterfinals of this 250 event. It was a treat for the buzzing Brazilian crowd, who got to see three Brazilians in action today, with the following matches being played.

In the headline clash of the day, the number one seed Beatriz Haddad Maia showcased her class and composure in a clinical 6-1, 6-4 win over fellow Brazilian Laura Pigossi. The contest, lasting just under an hour and 40 minutes, reinforced Haddad Maia’s reputation as a player capable of delivering under pressure and silencing any doubts about her dominance on home soil.

A key part of the match was the serving success disparity as the top seed landed 66% of her first serves, Haddad Maia converted them into points three-quarters of the time (76%), while Pigossi struggled to win even half of hers (48%). The gap was just as stark on second serve, where Haddad Maia held a 47% success rate compared to Pigossi’s 32%. The opening set was one-way traffic as Haddad Maia swept through 6-1 with relentless baseline hitting. Pigossi raised her level in the second set, even holding serve more consistently, but Haddad Maia’s poise in key moments ensured the contest never slipped from her grasp.

Before Haddad Maia's match, the crowd got to see one other Brazilian in wildcard Ana Candiotto facing the number eight seed Panna Udvardy. The Hungarian though did not give what the crowd wanted as she executed a straight-sets dismissal of Ana Candiotto (6-3, 6-3, 1h17m) in what was a demonstration of clinical efficiency.

Udvardy’s return game was equally sharp. She won 55% of all return points and converted five of her 14 break-point chances, constantly pressuring the Brazilian’s serve. Though Candiotto had her moments, saving nine break points and stringing together small surges, she ultimately could not hold off Udvardy’s sustained rhythm from the back of the court. For Candiotto, still just 21 and competing as a wildcard, the loss is a learning opportunity. She impressed with her resilience under pressure, saving multiple break points with gutsy baseline play, but Udvardy’s experience and higher consistency level proved too much.

To start off the day, the Sao Paolo Open featured number five seed Renata Zarazua who played Turkish player Berfu Cergiz who may have been tricky since she may not have seen much of her game. This proved no difficulty the Mexican as she put in a measured performance to beat Berfu Cengiz 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 34 minutes.

Both players matched each other in effort, but Zarazua consistently held the upper hand when it mattered as evidenced in serve statistics with the Mexican star winning 75% of her first-serve points compared to Cengiz’s 57%. The Mexican was particularly effective on return, capturing 46% of return points overall and breaking serve four times from seven chances. Cengiz kept the contest competitive with three aces and solid serving spells, but she lacked the consistency to string together momentum.

Looking at our next day of play, fans can look forward to a busy day of women’s singles and doubles action as the São Paulo Open enters the quarterfinal and semifinal stages. In a South East Asian showdown, Janice Tjen of Indonesia will face number three seed Alexandra Eala of the Philippines at 1:00 PM local time, followed by Francesca Jones taking on Solana Sierra at 2:10 PM. The later quarterfinals feature Beatriz Haddad Maia against Renata Zarazua at 4:30 PM, and Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah playing Panna Udvardy at the same time but on Court 1.