WREXHAM — Alicia Dudeney led a superb day for the home contingent at the Lexus Wrexham Open as she outlasted seventh seed Susan Bandecchi 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 in a gruelling two-hour 51-minute second-round epic at the Wrexham Tennis and Padel Centre to join Jodie Burrage and Hannah Klugman in Friday's quarter-finals.
The in-form Dudeney extended her winning run to seven matches in the World Tennis Tour W100 event, holding firm in the decider after dropping a tight second-set tie-break. She will now face French player Elsa Jacquemot in the last eight. She was followed into the Carden Park Arena by 17-year-old Klugman, who produced another excellent display to beat higher-ranked Czech Anna Siskova 6-2 6-4. Klugman, who reached the French Open junior girls' final last year and is currently ranked 341, will next meet sixth seed Rebecca Sramkova from Slovakia.
Burrage ensured three British players will feature on Friday as she defeated fourth seed Noma Noha Akugue 6-1 7-6 (11-9), closing out a tense tie-break to advance. She will next play fifth seed Marina Bassols Ribera after the Spaniard beat Australian Lizette Cabrera.
There was a major upset elsewhere as top seed Anna Blinkova, the French player currently ranked 72 in the world, fell at the second-round stage with a 6-3 6-2 defeat to Suzan Lamens from the Netherlands. The form of the British trio has helped bolster home support after reigning champion Mimi Xu, from Swansea, opted not to defend her title this year and is instead competing at the W75 Saguenay tournament in Canada. The Lexus Wrexham Open, which runs from 18-25 October, continues with quarter-finals and doubles semi-finals on Friday, 23 October, ahead of singles semi-finals on Saturday and both finals on Sunday.