At the ITF series tournament in Türkiye with a prize fund of $15,000, Kazakh tennis player Tatyana Nikolenko secured a thrilling victory over the tournament’s second seed, TuraNews.kz reports.
At just 19 years old, Nikolenko, who had never won an adult tournament under the International Tennis Federation (ITF), made waves in Antalya. After successfully navigating the singles qualification, consisting of three matches, she faced Turkish player Doga Turkmen in the main draw, triumphing with a score of 6:1, 6:1. In the second round, she faced the tournament’s second seed, Japanese player Mauku Aikawa, ranked 577th globally. Despite not having entered the WTA rankings herself, Nikolenko emerged victorious, winning the first game 6:1.
The second set saw Nikolenko at 3:3, on the brink of finishing the match in two sets. However, Aikawa rallied, taking the next three games and winning the set 6:4 to level the match. The third set culminated in a tie-break, with Nikolenko displaying resilience from 0:3 and 5:6. In a tight battle, she secured victory with a score of 7:6 (9:7), eliminating one of the tournament favorites.
Nikolenko advances to the quarterfinals, where she is set to face the sixth seed, Swedish representative Lisa Zaar, ranked 805th in the women’s world ranking. The young Kazakh athlete’s unexpected triumph is making waves in the Antalya ITF event.”
