Camilla Rosatello suffers a shock first-round defeat as underdog Katarina Kuzmova triumphs in Wrexham
Italy’s Camilla Rosatello made a shock first-round exit at the Lexus Wrexham Open, falling to Slovakia’s Katarina Kuzmova in a dramatic three-set battle that left the tournament wide open.
The second seed and one of the pre-tournament favourites, Rosatello looked unsettled from the start at the Wrexham Tennis and Padel Centre, where Kuzmova claimed an impressive 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 victory.
Rosatello, 30, fought back from a first-set loss to edge the second on a tense tiebreak and force a decider, but Kuzmova struck early in the final set, breaking her serve in the opening games. The Slovak maintained her composure to close out the win and seal one of the most significant upsets of the competition’s opening day.
The defeat comes as a major disappointment for Rosatello, a two-time doubles champion on the WTA Challenger Tour, who had been tipped to go deep into the tournament. Her early departure marks the first major surprise of the week at Wrexham’s fast-growing ITF World Tennis Tour event.
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There was, however, smoother progress for other top seeds. Kathinka von Deichmann of Liechtenstein and Raluca Georgiana Serban of Cyprus both advanced to the next round, though Serban’s victory came only after an exhausting three-set duel with Britain’s Ranah Akua Stoiber.
Serban was caught cold in the opening set, losing 1-6, before rediscovering her rhythm to dominate the second 6-0. Stoiber battled back in the decider, forcing a tiebreak, but the Cypriot fifth seed held her nerve to clinch the win 1-6 6-0 7-6 (7-5).
Elsewhere, there were straight-set victories for Jana Otzipka, Elena Malygina, and Lucie Havlickova, as well as a confident performance from Britain’s Amarni Banks, ranked 295th in the world. Banks delighted home fans with a commanding 6-4 6-0 win over Finland’s Laura Hietaranta, showing impressive poise and control from the baseline.
Meanwhile, Welsh teenager Mimi Xu gave the local crowd something to cheer about in the doubles competition. Partnering with Ella McDonald, the 18-year-old recovered from an early setback to deliver a thrilling first-round win.
Xu and McDonald trailed 3-1 in the opening set against Mika Stojsavljevic and Lucie Havlickova, but turned the match on its head by storming through five consecutive games to take the set 6-3. They continued their dominance in the second, sealing a convincing 6-3 6-2 victory to advance to the quarter-finals.
Their next challenge will be a formidable one: the third-seeded duo of Naima Karamoko (Switzerland) and Jessika Ponchet (France), who made quick work of Britain’s Georgiana Mititelu and Elizabeth Evans, winning 6-0 6-1.
The strong start from international seeds suggests a fiercely competitive week ahead in both the singles and doubles draws. With the early elimination of Rosatello, the Wrexham Open has already produced the kind of drama and unpredictability that has come to define the ITF circuit.
For local fans, the focus now shifts to Mimi Xu’s doubles campaign, with hopes high that the rising Welsh star can extend her run on home soil.
The Lexus Wrexham Open, part of the ITF World Tennis Tour W100, continues through 26 October, with full live coverage available on BBC Sport and BBC iPlayer