Francesca Curmi became the first Maltese player ever to play in a WTA main draw when she faced Cristina Bucsa, of Spain, in the first round of the Palermo Open.

The 21-year-old was handed a main draw spot as a lucky loser following the withdrawal of German player Anna-Lena Friedsman and came agonisingly close to pulling a first-round upset over the Spanish player.

Curmi led 5-3 in the third set and was two points away from her first career Top 100 win before Bucsa came back to escape 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

No.326-ranked Curmi has already been making history for Malta over the past few years. A former junior No.52, she represented Malta in a junior Grand Slam when she qualified for Roland Garros 2018.

Read full story on sport.timesofmalta.com

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