Guadalajara [Maxico], September 21 : Former World No. 4 Sofia Kenin advanced to her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal in four years by defeating No. 6 seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 7-5 at the Guadalajara Open.
While surviving 36 winners (and nine aces) from Ostapenko's racquet in a high-calibre two-setter that lasted one hour and 44 minutes, Kenin hit 19 winners to only three unforced errors, tying her overall record against the Latvian to 2-2.
Kenin will next face Leylah Fernandez of Canada in the quarterfinals.
Ostapenko only committed 25 unforced errors in total, but even with a 3-0 lead in the second set, she was unable to win the match. She also missed all three break points in the eighth game as well as six in a game with seven deuces on Kenin's serve that decided the match.
"I'm playing really well. I'm super happy with the way I've adapted here. It's my first time here ... the hospitality is amazing, the site is nice, and it feels like home here," Kenin was quoted as saying by WTA.
Kenin defeated Fernandez in their lone previous encounter, winning 6-4, 6-3 in the second round of the 2020 US Open.
Other top-half players who qualified for the quarterfinals were Caroline Garcia, the third seed, and Caroline Dolehide, another American. Garcia defeated Hailey Baptiste, a third American, 7-5, 6-4, while Dolehide defeated No. 8 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-1, 6-2.
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