World-ranked 190 qualifier Nao Hibino exited the Singapore Tennis Open in the second round on February 24, falling 5-7, 1-6 in straight sets to seventh seed Maria Sakkari. The hard-court WTA 500 tournament saw the 31-year-old Japanese veteran miss out on a spot in the singles quarterfinals after a tough battle against her higher-ranked opponent.
Second-Round Match Dynamics Against Sakkari
Facing the 31-year-old Sakkari—currently ranked 33rd in the world—Hibino pushed the opening set before yielding her service games. Hibino successfully broke Sakkari’s serve once in the first set, but dropped her own serve twice to let the Greek player take the lead at 7-5 according to match reports. The second set slipped away quickly as Hibino squandered three break points in the opening games. Sakkari capitalized by securing breaks in the second and sixth games, closing out the match 6-1 to advance.
Hibino’s Path Through the Singapore Draw
Hibino earned her spot in the main draw by winning two qualifying matches earlier in the week. In the opening round of the main draw, she faced former world number 10 Kristina Mladenovic of France, outlasting her in a grueling three-set match to secure a hard-fought victory. Despite the opening-round triumph, the qualifier’s run concluded against the tournament’s seventh seed.
Upcoming Quarterfinal Matchups
With the win, Sakkari moves on to the quarterfinals of the Singapore Tennis Open. She faces world number 63 Talia Gibson of Australia next. Gibson advanced to the round of eight by defeating Slovakia’s Viktória Morvayová, who is ranked 296th globally.