Qualifier Jana Fett upset Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 in a battle between Croatian players to reach the Round of 16 at the Porsche Open in Stuttgart.
Vekic broke serve in the second game of the first set to race out to a 4-1 lead. Fett pulled back on serve at love in the seventh game and held at 15 to draw level to 4-4. Fett broke serve in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead, but Vekic broke straight back to 5-5.
Fett went up a 4-1 lead with two mini-breaks. Vekic pulled one mini-break back for 2-4, but Fett won the final three points to win the tie-break 7-2.
Fett earned an early break in the second game to take a 2-0 lead. Vekic broke straight back in the third game to reduce the deficit to 1-2. Fett raced out to a 5-1 lead with two breaks of serve in the fourth and sixth games. Vekic pulled both breaks back to reduce the deficit to 4-5, but she was not able to serve out the 10th game, as Fett broke serve on her second match point.
Vekic did not feel well early in the second set and cried during a medical time-out.
Fett will take on world number 2 Iga Swiatek, who had a first round bye. Swiatek beat Fett 6-0 6-3 in the first round at Wimbledon 2022.
Swiatek won two titles in her three appearances at the WTA 500 tournament in Stuttgart and lost to Elena Rybakina in the semifinal last year.
