By Ros Satar
- Harriet Dart [Q] def. Anna Bondar [LL] 6-4 7-6(0)
- Faces fifth seed Elisabetta Cocciaretto
- H2H: First meeting
CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA – Harriet Dart continues her kick start to the 2024 season with a second-round match-up with fifth seed Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
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Harriet Dart [Q] def. Anna Bondar [LL] 6-4 7-6(0)
Harriet Dart is enjoying some tour-level main draw success, having come through qualifying and beating lucky loser Anna Bondar in her opening round. Yet to drop a set, Dart came through two competitive sets, to claim her first main draw win this season.
Bondar was the first to break in the first to break before Dart pegged the Hungarian back immediately. The Brit got a vital second break before going on to serve out the first set. She remained toe-to-toe with Dart, even having set points on the Dart serve, but could not close the set out, and then had to fend off points on her own serve straight away.
Dart put her foot down in the tie-break denying Bondar a chance to get on the board.
Harriet Dart [Q] v Elisabetta Cocciaretto [5] | H2H: First meeting
| Harriet Dart [Q] v Elisabetta Cocciaretto [5] | H2H: First Meeting |
| WTA Cluj-Napoca | Romania |
| Hard (I) | Prize Money: $4,040 |
| First on Centre Court at 11am (9am GMT) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Dart will face fifth seed Elisabetta Cocciaretto in their first meeting on tour.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2024)
| H2H: | Harriet Dart (WR 103) | Elisabetta Cocciaretto (WR |
| Tournament Previous Best | R16 (2022) | Debut |
| 1st Serve Return Points Won % | 40.3 | 39.5 |
| Return Points Won % | 46.2 | 45.4 |
| Break Point Conversion % | 46.3 | 45.3 |
| Break Points Saved % | 60.9 | 67.4 |
| Overall Service Points Won % | 54.1 | 60.0 |
The pair are pretty evenly matched with the Italian just edging ahead in terms of break points saved and overall service points won.
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Playing Styles & Prediction
Dart started the season with a run to the Canberra ITF final, but on the main tour, it has taken a while for her to find her groove. But in the bid to reach a first WTA quarter-final outside of the UK on grass, she will need to put Cocciaretto under some pressure.
The Italian has not played as much as Dart this year, but is also looking for some early season form, having not won back-to-back matches at all this year. Worse, she has had match points in the two of the three matches she lost at Hobart, Melbourne and Linz.
Dart is tenacious and while the Italian is the favourite on paper, Dart’s confidence is up and she will scrap to the last point, and could push Cocciaretto all the way.
Prediction: Dart in three sets.
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