Romania's Niculescu qualifies for Shenzhen Open women's quarter-finals

Romanian tennis player Monica Niculescu qualified on Wednesday for the quarter-finals of the WTA tournament in Shenzhen, China (Shenzhen Open), with prizes worth 750,000 US dollars, after defeating Kristyna Pliskova (the Czech Republic), with a score of 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4.

Niculescu (aged 31, WTA's 99th), who came from qualifications, managed to defeat her opponent in two hours and 23 minutes.

Monica Niculescu secured a cheque worth 13,121 US dollars and 78 WTA points.

The two tennis players faced off one time only, with the Romanian national winning, in 2015, the third round in Wimbledon, with a score of 6-3, 7-5. Niculescu and Kristyna Pliskova (aged 26, WTA's 94th) were supposed to face off in 2014 also, but Monica Niculescu forfeited.

In the quarter finals, Niculescu is to play against Chinese Yafan Wang (aged 24, WTA's 70th), who won the event against Tunisian Ons Jabeur, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. The only event between Monica and Wang took place in 2014, in Guangzhou, in the semifinals, when Niculescu won the event with a score of 6-0, 6-2.

Tennis player Sorana Cirstea also qualified for the quarter-finals and she is to face off US player Alison Riske. AGERPRES (RO - editor: Mihai Tenea; EN - editor: Rodica State)