The third day of the Dubrovnik Open was marked by a victory from Croatian duo Lucija Ćirić Bagarić and Ana Konjuh. The Dubrovnik crowd eagerly awaits tomorrow’s matches featuring home players.
Dubrovnik, March 25, 2026 – Backed by strong home support, Lucija Ćirić Bagarić and Ana Konjuh took to the court with determination and secured a valuable win in the doubles competition. Their confident and inspired performance lifted the atmosphere at the WTA Dubrovnik Open. With a 2–6, 6–4, 10–7 victory over Japan’s Momoko Kobori and Thailand’s Peangtarn Plipuech, they advanced to the semifinals, scheduled for March 26.
“This is a historic match for two Dubrovnik players on home soil, so I’m happy for the crowd as well. I hope we managed to extend their enjoyment a little and give them more chances to watch us. Hopefully, the rain won’t disrupt us tomorrow and we’ll be able to play and give our best, but also enjoy ourselves on court. I think this is a lifelong memory for both of us. It’s great that we received a wild card and the opportunity to play here at all, since we don’t really have a doubles ranking—well, Lucija does, I don’t. All in all, a beautiful evening, and I hope we improved the overall impression of the tournament a bit, given that we both exited early in singles,” said Konjuh after the match.
Alongside the home pair’s win, day three of the WTA Dubrovnik Open brought a series of exciting matches and confirmed the excellent form of third seed Mayar Sherif. The 2023 WTA Makarska Open champion comfortably defeated Serbia’s Mia Ristić. Widely regarded as a great friend of WTA events in Croatia, the Egyptian had little trouble securing her place in the next round, setting the tempo from the start and winning 6–4, 6–3.
“I’ve felt my best on clay since the start of the year. I hope the confidence I’ve gained will help me in the next match and everything that follows. I really want to feel the way I did at the end of that match. I didn’t doubt myself and made very few mistakes. I’m sure I’m ready for many more matches on clay,” Sherif said.
The day was also highlighted by an outstanding performance from Tamara Zidanšek. In the longest match of the tournament so far, lasting more than three hours, the Slovenian defeated Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo 7–6, 6–2, 6–1 in a battle for every point.
This was not their first meeting in Croatia. The two players previously faced each other in the 2019 WTA Bol Open final, where Zidanšek also prevailed, winning the Bol title for the second consecutive year.
In another Slovenian-Spanish clash at the WTA Dubrovnik Open, Spain’s Kaitlin Quevedo came up short against second seed Veronika Erjavec, who claimed a convincing 6–2, 6–2 victory.
Leyre Romero Gormaz was the only Spanish player to record a win on the day, securing an impressive victory over sixth seed Suzan Lamens, 6–3, 7–5. Romero Gormaz controlled the first set with solid play and showed strong mental resilience in key moments of the second to seal the match.
The Dubrovnik crowd is now eagerly awaiting the match of the last remaining Croatian in singles, Tena Lukas. She is scheduled second on Centre Court tomorrow, where she will face Spain’s Andrea Lázaro García.
Foto: Bogdan Klarić