Kanepi nearly lost to Jarmila Groth, but came out on top. Photo used courtesy of the AEGON Tennis Classic

BIRMINGHAM, UK — Kaia Kanepi has moved into the final 16 of the AEGON Classic without dropping a set.

Her second victim at the tournament was Australian Jarmila Groth who perhaps pushed Kanepi further than some would have predicted, before the Estonian was finally able to prevail 7-6 (5), 7-5.

Kanepi played anything but a perfect game, having her serve broken on more than one occasion but fortunately she was able to break back on each occasion to claim the match.

It is still unclear who Kanepi will come up against in the round of 16, a game that could take place later today depending on weather, which has hampered the tournament throughout.

Kanepi will be hoping to take this winning form into Wimbledon later this month as she continues to her quest to once again be amongst the world’s top women’s players.

Victory earlier this week

Having to wait an extra day to get on court following a rain affected Tuesday, Kanepi quickly gained the first set 6-1 before her English opponent Elena Baltacha retired hurt.

It was a massive boost for the Estonian, even if her opponent limped off after one set. Given that Kanepi had to qualify for the event and that Baltacha was the tournament 12th seed with the home crowd behind her, she will be confident going into her second round match.

This article is free to view. To read Baltic Reports’ subscription-only articles, click here.